Zurich Parliamentary Safety Commission visits Amsterdam

On October 4, 2024, a delegation from the Commission for Security and Traffic of the Zurich (City) Parliament visited Amsterdam to gather knowledge and best practices that could be implemented to enhance Zurich’s cycling network.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by representatives from the Dutch Cycling Embassy (DCE) and the Municipality of Amsterdam. Emma Stubbe from DCE kicked off the program with an introduction to the development of cycling in the Netherlands, highlighting the country’s journey to becoming a global leader in cycling infrastructure.

Jon Mouter (Municipality of Amsterdam) followed with an overview of cycling in Amsterdam, focusing on the city’s planning strategies to accommodate a high volume of cyclists and the new Stationsplein parking facility. This was followed by a modified SWOT analysis for Zurich, identifying positive and negative factors that are conducive, beneficial, surmountable or need to be taken into account in their mobility planning.

Then, Ben Schaipp (FietsMeister) discussed Dutch cycling planning principles, and showed examples of their application under a range of circumstances in the Netherlands and internationally.

Elke Schimmel (november:city) followed with a presentation on traffic calming and the “fietsstraat” (bicycle streets), which Michiel Beers from the Municipality was able to set into context with a discussion of the 30km/h transition plan in Amsterdam.

In the afternoon, joined by the Ambassador of Switzerland to the Netherlands, Ms Cicéron Bühler, the delegation took a cycling tour led by Marjolein de Lange and Elke Schimmel, experiencing Amsterdam’s cycling infrastructure firsthand. The day concluded with a reflection on how Zurich can implement lessons from the visit.

This visit provided the delegation with valuable insights and strategies to enhance its cycling infrastructure, inspired by the Netherlands’ successful model.

Photo by Marjolein de Lange / Amsterdam Bike City