Hackney Cyclist
@hackneycyclist.bsky.social
Hackney-based. Advocating for cycling that’s as safe, convenient, and comfortable as it is in the Netherlands. I share my own media of Dutch street life, hoping to inspire more liveable communities everywhere.
Pinned
Right in the heart of the city what would be car parking in the UK is instead space for bike parking, greenery, and outdoor dining. When you make city centres safe and welcoming with cycle routes in every direction, you don't need endless car parks. Cities thrive when places are built for people.
This is what happens when streets stop being shortcuts for cars and become streets that serve communities. Design for people and life fills the space.
📍 Haarlem, NL.
📍 Haarlem, NL.
January 13, 2026 at 8:17 PM
This is what happens when streets stop being shortcuts for cars and become streets that serve communities. Design for people and life fills the space.
📍 Haarlem, NL.
📍 Haarlem, NL.
Frans Halsstraat, Amsterdam in 1982 and today. Your streets can be used to store parked cars, or they can be places for people. It's a political choice and city leaders can make it happen.
January 13, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Frans Halsstraat, Amsterdam in 1982 and today. Your streets can be used to store parked cars, or they can be places for people. It's a political choice and city leaders can make it happen.
Greenery alongside the cycle track creates a nice separation between bikes and traffic, helps rainwater retention and biodiversity, and trees help provide shade from the sun and rain
January 12, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Greenery alongside the cycle track creates a nice separation between bikes and traffic, helps rainwater retention and biodiversity, and trees help provide shade from the sun and rain
Damrak, Amsterdam in 1987 and today. From multiple lanes for motor traffic there is now only one lane, in one direction, heading out of the city for cars and no car parking. Tram lines and cycleways remain in both directions.
January 12, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Damrak, Amsterdam in 1987 and today. From multiple lanes for motor traffic there is now only one lane, in one direction, heading out of the city for cars and no car parking. Tram lines and cycleways remain in both directions.
Protected cycle tracks are needed alongside main roads so everyone can safely and comfortably get around their town or city, from elderly people with mobility issues, to young friends cycling to hockey practice together
January 11, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Protected cycle tracks are needed alongside main roads so everyone can safely and comfortably get around their town or city, from elderly people with mobility issues, to young friends cycling to hockey practice together
Haarlemmerdijk, Amsterdam in 1977 and today
January 11, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Haarlemmerdijk, Amsterdam in 1977 and today
Singel, Amsterdam in 1976 and today. Cars are no longer allowed, only open for those on bike, foot, or on the tram
January 10, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Singel, Amsterdam in 1976 and today. Cars are no longer allowed, only open for those on bike, foot, or on the tram
When you remove through motor traffic from residential streets, they don’t just become safer for walking and cycling - they become places to live. Neighbours add benches, sit outside, and the street becomes an extension of home.
This is what a healthy neighbourhood looks like.
This is what a healthy neighbourhood looks like.
January 8, 2026 at 6:25 PM
When you remove through motor traffic from residential streets, they don’t just become safer for walking and cycling - they become places to live. Neighbours add benches, sit outside, and the street becomes an extension of home.
This is what a healthy neighbourhood looks like.
This is what a healthy neighbourhood looks like.
Staalstraat, Amsterdam in 1974 and today, now a cycle and pedestrian only street
January 7, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Staalstraat, Amsterdam in 1974 and today, now a cycle and pedestrian only street
Reposted by Hackney Cyclist
Snow, bicycles, and a remarkably quiet morning commute. New post and video with almost eight minutes of calm from Utrecht.
Back to Work in the Snow: A Winter Morning by Bicycle
First of all, I would like to wish all my readers a very Happy New Year. This year began in a rather unexpected way. And no, I do not mean the worrying threats to the world order posed by the illegal actions of the current US administration, but something much closer to home: the unusually large amount of snow that fell in the Netherlands this week.
bicycledutch.wordpress.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Snow, bicycles, and a remarkably quiet morning commute. New post and video with almost eight minutes of calm from Utrecht.
Quellijnstraat, Amsterdam in 1978 and today
January 6, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Quellijnstraat, Amsterdam in 1978 and today
A photo I took on Vijzelstraat in Amsterdam in 2018 and in the same spot last year. Car parking removed for bike parking and car lane removed for cycle lane. The Dutch continue to improve their streets over time, some streets in Amsterdam don't have cycle lanes because they haven't been built yet!
January 5, 2026 at 8:30 PM
A photo I took on Vijzelstraat in Amsterdam in 2018 and in the same spot last year. Car parking removed for bike parking and car lane removed for cycle lane. The Dutch continue to improve their streets over time, some streets in Amsterdam don't have cycle lanes because they haven't been built yet!
Reposted by Hackney Cyclist
The Utrecht morning rush hour in the snow did not disappoint!
January 5, 2026 at 7:26 AM
The Utrecht morning rush hour in the snow did not disappoint!
Protected cycle tracks alongside main roads, with priority over motor vehicles at junctions, are needed so large groups of young female friends feel safe choosing to ride and don’t have to take risks just to get around. RIding together like this should be normal, not brave.
January 4, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Protected cycle tracks alongside main roads, with priority over motor vehicles at junctions, are needed so large groups of young female friends feel safe choosing to ride and don’t have to take risks just to get around. RIding together like this should be normal, not brave.
Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Amsterdam in 1980 and today, with car parking replaced by outdoor dining
January 4, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Amsterdam in 1980 and today, with car parking replaced by outdoor dining
Reposted by Hackney Cyclist
Trump is probably focused on the money he wrongly thinks he'll make from Venezuelan oil. But he's not a details guy and nobody has thought through the details. Essentially, the US has taken over Venezuela by mistake. Stranger things have happened, but not many.
open.substack.com/pub/arthursn...
open.substack.com/pub/arthursn...
Stranger Things
The 1980s Nostalgia of Trump's Foreign Policy is probably going to end up, like Stranger Things, as a horror show.
open.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Trump is probably focused on the money he wrongly thinks he'll make from Venezuelan oil. But he's not a details guy and nobody has thought through the details. Essentially, the US has taken over Venezuela by mistake. Stranger things have happened, but not many.
open.substack.com/pub/arthursn...
open.substack.com/pub/arthursn...
Reposted by Hackney Cyclist
wow, quite the before/after pic if viewed side by side! Funny how the new route looks like it has always been this way.
January 4, 2026 at 11:22 AM
wow, quite the before/after pic if viewed side by side! Funny how the new route looks like it has always been this way.
I had the pleasure of cycling along this brand new layout on a road in Breda last year: upgraded from painted cycle lanes in the door zone or mixing with buses to real protection. Improves the street for everyone. Safer, greener, more pleasant streets — and faster public transport too.
January 3, 2026 at 8:02 PM
I had the pleasure of cycling along this brand new layout on a road in Breda last year: upgraded from painted cycle lanes in the door zone or mixing with buses to real protection. Improves the street for everyone. Safer, greener, more pleasant streets — and faster public transport too.
Reguliersbreestraat, Amsterdam in 1979 and today
January 3, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Reguliersbreestraat, Amsterdam in 1979 and today
Time and again, improving city centre streets for people leads to stronger retail demand and higher sales:
"Plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street are translating into a sharp rebound in retail demand, retailers have been racing to secure space and vacancy is now at its lowest point in two decades"
"Plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street are translating into a sharp rebound in retail demand, retailers have been racing to secure space and vacancy is now at its lowest point in two decades"
January 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Time and again, improving city centre streets for people leads to stronger retail demand and higher sales:
"Plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street are translating into a sharp rebound in retail demand, retailers have been racing to secure space and vacancy is now at its lowest point in two decades"
"Plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street are translating into a sharp rebound in retail demand, retailers have been racing to secure space and vacancy is now at its lowest point in two decades"
Ferdinand Bolstraat, Amsterdam in 1979 vs today. Car parking is gone - and so are cars. What was once a traffic-clogged road into the city centre dividing the community is now a busy shopping street for bikes, pedestrians, and trams only.
January 2, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Ferdinand Bolstraat, Amsterdam in 1979 vs today. Car parking is gone - and so are cars. What was once a traffic-clogged road into the city centre dividing the community is now a busy shopping street for bikes, pedestrians, and trams only.
Here's three minutes of me cycling through Zwolle city centre on mostly motor-free or low-traffic streets. Everyone benefits from this design: more trade for cafés, pleasanter places to walk and cycle, quieter homes for local residents, and vibrant public spaces. Design for people and cities thrive
January 2, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Here's three minutes of me cycling through Zwolle city centre on mostly motor-free or low-traffic streets. Everyone benefits from this design: more trade for cafés, pleasanter places to walk and cycle, quieter homes for local residents, and vibrant public spaces. Design for people and cities thrive
Merry Christmas all!
December 24, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Merry Christmas all!
Reposted by Hackney Cyclist
We initially designed the protected cycle infrastructure to include the RBKC side of Bayswater Road. Not surprising but nonetheless a depressing reply came back: "Stepped tracks and bus stop by-passes are just not something that is supported in RBKC currently."
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I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Westminster Council want to add a direct bike route with floating bus stops to Bayswater Road, from Lancaster Gate all the way west to… the RBKC boundary, where it will abruptly end. because RBKC.
/cc @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social
cmsbayswaterroad.commonplace.is
/cc @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social
cmsbayswaterroad.commonplace.is
Cycle Movement Strategy Phase 3: Bayswater Road
The Bayswater Road Cycle Movement Strategy Phase 3 scheme looks to enhance cycling and pedestrian facilities in both directions along Bayswater Road, from Palace Court to Lancaster Terrace.
cmsbayswaterroad.commonplace.is
December 22, 2025 at 11:24 AM
We initially designed the protected cycle infrastructure to include the RBKC side of Bayswater Road. Not surprising but nonetheless a depressing reply came back: "Stepped tracks and bus stop by-passes are just not something that is supported in RBKC currently."
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1/
It's like when no one wants to tell their elderly parents it’s time to hand over the car keys because it's no longer safe for them to drive, except Trump’s version involves the nuclear codes
Per @garretthaake.bsky.social, the extremely tacky "presidential wall of fame" that lines the colonnade to the West Wing now has obviously-Trump-penned plaques insulting or praising the presidents.
December 17, 2025 at 8:38 PM
It's like when no one wants to tell their elderly parents it’s time to hand over the car keys because it's no longer safe for them to drive, except Trump’s version involves the nuclear codes