Nolavi Petros
How many bicycles end up in the canals of Amsterdam?
Daniel R Hicks
I'm sure they can be recycled and I would guess that if they are fished out. As for how they got there, it's hard to say. Some are stolen, some are just left to be disposed of. Used bikes, unless they are in perfect condition, are not worth much. Our cyclist rehabilitation group has hundreds of people sitting outside under tarps because people are giving them to us faster than we can handle them.
Criggie
The guess is that there are a lot of bicycles in Amsterdam and 20 thousand (per year?) is still a small percentage of the total. And that there are a lot of canals and gangsters in Amsterdam.
David Richerby
@Criggie 20k bikes a year is 55 a day which seems like a lot of work.
Criggie
@DavidRicherby yes, the "per year" part is a guess on my part. According to amsterdamfaq.com/1/amsterdam “According to the most recent data, the 850,000 inhabitants (442,693 households) of Amsterdam together own 847,000 bicycles. This equates to 1.91 bicycles per household. 78% of people aged 12 and over own at least one bike. Bonus fact: Every year between 12,000 and 15,000 bikes are fished out of the city's canals." So that's 1.4% to 1.7% of the total cyclist population.
EvilSnack
This is the Amsterdam mafia giving "friendly" warnings to people who cross them.
Answers
David Richerby
Why do you think they are not recycled? EU legislation is pretty strict about what can go to landfill and it would be very surprising if the bikes fished out of the canals weren't recycled (i.e. melted down and the metal used for something new). 20,000 bicycles is at least 200 tons of scrap metal.
After being submerged for some time, bicycles are likely to be badly damaged enough that their parts cannot be reused: components such as bearings are likely to be damaged after an economical repair, and structural elements such as the frame and wheels will corrode. unknown quantity and cannot be guaranteed safe.
Daniel R Hicks
Yes, our small team delivers hundreds of bikes for recycling. Unfortunately, scrap metal isn't worth much these days, especially since it tends to be "contaminated" with many other materials.
L.Dutch
Various options:
- stolen bikes that are too dangerous to transport
- act of drunk people
- vandalism (I have often seen motorcycles with bent wheels, as if someone jumped on sprockets just to damage them)
- accidents (when parking poorly parked bicycles can fall into channels)
Nolavi Petros
poorly parked falling by accident is fun. - I doubt more than 100 fell my mistake... lol
d.coop
thus the bikes cannot be recycled because the bikes have been in the channel for so long that parts of the bike wear and corrode to the point where they cannot be repaired. Now, I've never been to Amsterdam and don't plan to, but maybe it can salt the water, and salt water is a moving part nightmare.
Amsterdam is called the cycling capital of Europe. It seemed to me that there are even more cyclists here than in China. For them, dedicated wide bike paths, there are special traffic lights, parking everywhere. Even the most attentive tourist runs the risk of falling under the wheels of a cyclist, so don't yawn.
The sound of a bicycle bell is an integral part of the special spirit of the Dutch capital, where, according to conservative estimates, about 400,000 cyclists take to the streets every day. So if you want to see the life of Amsterdam, as they say, from the inside, it is worth renting a bicycle. However, do not forget that, without having the habit, moving around in a big city on a bicycle can be unsafe. Someone gave a very precise definition of the life of this city - "organized chaos."
Bicycle is one of the main means of transportation in the Dutch capital. Up to 40% of the city's population owns bicycles and regularly uses them to travel around Amsterdam. Foreign cyclists are the most involved in road accidents. In Amsterdam, cycling is prohibited at Central Station and along Leidsestraat, Stationsplein, Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein, Waterlooplein, as well as parking at Central Station and Dam Square.
Many streets in the old center are given over to cyclists. 
Fans of speed ride on such fireballs. 
Children can be put in a box. 
This pleasure is also available to tourists. 
As soon as the kids grow up, they themselves ride fun bikes. 
In any weather... 
Most ride in raincoats, especially skillful ones hold an umbrella in one hand. 
All bicycles are extremely simple so as not to tempt thieves. 
Rental costs about 5-10 euros per day, depending on the location and season. 
Bicycles are repaired right on the street. 
Fietsflat, a three-story bike rack at Amsterdam Central Station, is the strongest bike rack in Europe. Newly arrived tourists can rent a bicycle at the station. 
Finding a place here is not easy. 
Bicycles can be rented not only at the railway station, but also at rental shops, most bike shops, and many hotels. There is even a dedicated hotel for cyclists, the Van Ostade Bicycle Hotel. You can rent a water bike, a tandem bike and even a bike for 8 people. In this city, bicycles are a common means of transportation, much more common than cars. This is partly due to the lack and high cost of parking in Amsterdam and other large cities.
Scooters and scooters feel very lonely. Only one motor per 100 bikes. 
This is a special bike light. 
A typical street, all roadsides full of bicycles. 
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Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is famous for being completely built on water. There are 165 canals in the city, without which it is simply impossible to imagine. But this is far from the most interesting. In the article you will learn what to do at the airport if there is still a lot of time before departure; why some of the houses are "crooked" and a lot of other unexpected things.
Today website will tell you what distinguishes this city from the rest.
14. Unusual buildings
There are a lot of interesting places in Amsterdam, and one of them is this store in the form of a box. I would like to say that this store does an excellent job of attracting a buyer, because not only locals come there, but not a single tourist can pass by.
13. Zones without Wi-Fi
Amsterdam is completely covered by Wi-Fi. There are so many of them that there are free zones without Wi-Fi. The authors of the project justify this by the fact that today people practically live online and forget to take a break from the incessant flow of information. In such “wifi-free” places, people can take a break and eat a chocolate bar.
12. Rescue for those "drowned" in the canals
There are special units in Amsterdam that take cars out of the canals. Cars don't sink often, of course, but they do happen because most places don't have guardrails.
11. Unusual bar
10. Unexpected winter
Usually in Amsterdam there are no such low temperatures in winter that the canals freeze. But this year, for the first time since 2012, they are cold enough for ice skating.
9. Crooked houses
Amsterdam is also called the "kingdom of crooked houses." Inclined houses can be for the following reasons: or in connection with the soft soils on which the city is built; or due to the fact that earlier on the top floor there were beams for lifting loads, and so that it would not hit windows and walls, the facades of the houses were built at an angle.
8. "Cat ship"
Among the 2,400 houseboats on the city's canals, there is also a "cat ship" on which homeless animals live. It is close to the main station of the city, so whoever is in Amsterdam can visit.
7. Avid cyclists
6. Library at the airport
There is a library at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, so be aware if you find yourself there. If you have a lot of time before departure and you want to relax, then you can easily do it with a book in the reading room.
5. Fishing for bikes
There is a tradition in Amsterdam to throw old bicycles into the canal, for this and other reasons, every year up to 15,000 bicycles are taken out of the canal by city services.
4. Multi-level bike parking
Also in Amsterdam, you can often find multi-level bicycle parking. One of these is the Fietsflat parking lot, which is the largest parking lot in Europe and has a capacity of 2,500 bikes. Here, newly arrived tourists can rent an "iron horse".
3. Coffee lovers
Have you noticed how many abandoned and rusting bicycles are on the streets of large European cities? They must have wondered who left them here and why. So I wonder every time I meet another iron horse chained to a fence or a bike rack. And even collected a small collection of their photographs.
For example, this bike stands in Strasbourg, on the banks of the canal, near the old town. In Russia, one would ride and ride on this, but here nobody needs it. They can't even steal humanly...
There are a lot of abandoned bikes in countries with a high standard of living and prosperity. For example, in Copenhagen, abandoned bicycles come across at every turn. And, for some reason, they are all of the same brand "Centurion". Well, this is understandable - a Danish company, and the bike is probably worth a mere penny. But why did they quit?
Nice road bike! How much would this cost us? They didn't even take things.
A real cycling disaster has befallen the most cycling city in Europe - Amsterdam. The city authorities are forced to state that the bicycle issue is out of control - the city is literally full of city bikes. According to statistics, 57% of city residents use their bikes daily, and almost half of them ride two wheels to work. As a result, bicycles fastened anywhere and in any way interfere with passers-by and official vehicles.
Abandoned. Nobody needs. Die, disappear.
Velik, or all that's left of him, is in Hamburg.
Abandoned "Englishman" on one of the streets of London. Apparently, he also got into an accident and someone jumped on his wheel.
Not abandoned, but still an unfortunate children's bike at the entrance to a toy store in Bratislava. I don’t even want to go into such a store - it doesn’t smell like a happy childhood here ...
There are several reasons why owners abandon their bikes. One of them is the high price of recycling old bicycles. It's easier to "forget" it somewhere and ends up in the water. And, literally: in Paris, bicycles are often dumped into the Saint-Martin canal, from where they are taken out in tons during the next drainage and cleaning.
from here
People who came to the city for a short time can also "leave" the bike. We bought an inexpensive one, used it for a month or two, left, and left the bike. Don't drag it with you. This is often done by students who come to study in another city. Selling a used bike is very problematic, since a new one is inexpensive, and you have to pay for recycling. So they drive it for the last time to the station and leave it there.
The bike could also be stolen and abandoned. Finally, something might have happened to the owner. But I still understand if the bike had remained somewhere near the house. But they often stand in crowded places ...
By the way, there are a lot of abandoned bicycles in Canadian cities. In Toronto, a local group of young avant-garde artists decided to brighten up the unenviable life of bicycles abandoned on the street in the truest sense of the word. Young people began to decorate forgotten and useless bicycles in bright colors, thus turning iron rubbish into a fashionable avant-garde decoration of city streets. This movement was simply called "The Good Bicycle".
from here
And for dessert, a small video sketch from the Internet about entire megaparks of abandoned bicycles in Germany, where the author sheds light on the causes of this phenomenon (from 3:42). So many useless bikes you've never seen before. City services hang notification labels on them, and if the bike does not go anywhere after that, it will be cut off the lock and disposed of.
I look and involuntarily remember how I spent more than 20,000 rubles on 3 bicycles for the family ...
Are they mad with fat or are we beggars?
I suddenly found out that in the Amsterdam city canals there are deposits of Dutch city bikes, and there is even a special service that periodically cleans the bottom of the rivers from them so that navigation is not disturbed. 🙂
I remember when I worked in ship supply, once I went on a Russian steamer, I look - they have several rusty bicycles fastened on the deck. The boatswain said that in Rotterdam they bought a whole minibus of such rubbish from some Arab, for 1 euro apiece.
Most of them were cleaned, lubricated and handed over somewhere in bulk for 500 rubles in St. Petersburg, and a few were left for themselves to drive around in ports. Now I understand where the legs grow from. 🙂 Only one thing is unclear, who throws these bikes in such quantity, and why into the river? National tradition?
Probably, these deposits go for processing, even the heart bleeds. In fact, this is an eternal technique, if a city bike has not spent several years under water, then it can easily be brought back to life - change (or clean) the bushings and carriage, put a new chain - and the bike can still run and run. Although, maybe it is, no one knows?
In the end, it is even possible to send as humanitarian aid, to developing countries, in containers, just the port is nearby. And imagine what rarities could be found in the canal if you go scuba diving there. 🙂
In short, the whole action looks like this:
There are more videos:
The amazing country of Holland. 🙂
