Reflection on Meredith's Puma Activity

I really enjoyed the Puma activity. The second day of the scavenger hunt was my favorite day in Amsterdam so far. Lauren, Sulwyn, and I spent two days attempting to reach all twenty destinations on the list. We accomplished the majority of them, but we were very thoughtful with how we experienced each destination and activity. We took our time to sit with the space we were in, people watch, talk to locals, have discussions amongst ourselves, and ask questions. I appreciated sitting on the side of a road or on a bench watching people bike, walk, sit at a cafe, truly living.

I was amazed by the underground bike parking at the central station. Most of the locals were not comfortable with us going up to them, but they were all happy with the facility and use it whenever they go to the central station. At the ferry station we watched bikes go on and off. We noticed five rules for biking in the space: be ready and alert, pull to the side when the ferry opens, ride on and off the ferry, ignore personal space (get close), and keep moving. In Amsterdam if there is an obstruction on the road most people do not react by ringing a bell or shouting at you, instead they move around you. Biking here is like an organism, it expands and retracts and reacts to different movements. When Sulwyn walked in circles as a confused tourist in the middle of the street cyclists moved around her and went on with their day. We found the turtle being crushed at Sint Antoniesbreestraat. The pillar mentioned the era of urban renewal, something very different from urban renewal in America. It was an era of retrofitting and preserving historic buildings. We went to the park in the middle of the street on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. In July 2021 there was car parking and a road through the middle of the median. Now there is a small park and cars cannot go through. We talked to someone working at a nearby cafe who witnessed the changes and affects to their business. She was happy with the street and said it is much quieter, there is room for more seating, and she gets more business.

When we went to the first car free street in Amsterdam I did not notice that there weren’t any cars at first because it felt similar to biking on any other street in the city. I was astonished by the ability to make streets with cars safe and comfortable for cyclists. We then went to Weesperstraat where a six week road diet pilot project is taking place. We interviewed a handful of people nearby and asked their opinion on the street. One of the maintenance workers said that he liked it. A woman who lived nearby likes the street because she bikes on it and it is more quiet, however her partner has a car and has trouble accessing their apartment. One man said he liked the concept of the street, but wished it was in a different location because it is slower for delivery vehicles. I thought it was interesting to hear an overall positive reaction but different perspectives and experiences on the street.

I learned that Amsterdam has a history of prioritizing cyclists and faces their share of citizen disapproval on projects for people. Amsterdam is a city where biking is natural and innate to the streets. A cyclist here does not fear cars, but has to pay attention to the flow of all modes of transportation in a given area. People here are more considerate of other transporters and commuters. Cyclists and vehicles pay attention. There is more dedicated space for bikes even on roads without a separated bike lane. The activity allowed me to explore Amsterdam with a purpose. If I could propose a change it would be to add a perspective of a marginalized community to hear their perspective biking in a society that is historically discriminatory. While cycling is for all there are social factors that affect one’s acceptance, comfort, and access to biking as a means of transportation.