With bike lanes literally everywhere in Amsterdam, it is truly a pleasure cycling in this city. There are still some gaps in my knowledge, however, particularly when it comes to left turns. In the states, our mantra is always that we are like any other vehicle, except for the interstate/freeway exceptions. That means a left turn involves crossing traffic and often taking up part of a dedicated left turn lane. Here in Amsterdam, things are a bit murkier. First, if a bike path exists, you are required to use it. But the problem is that there is rarely a special left turn lane for bikes, and I guarantee one thing for sure is that we are not expected to cross into the car lanes. The best we’ve been able to do is stopping in the middle of the bike lane where it crosses the other lane. This is not without problems, because often there are dozens of bikes in line to cross busy intersections. So.. still waiting for that revelation.
