Hi Lon,
I'm in Amsterdam, ( back from being out of town a couple of days) I was on Bike Talk once, in 2009. I'm originally from Berkeley, have been here for almost 4 years now.
I've been trying for two of those years to get a bike kitchen going here... am reluctantly concluding that Dutch cultural sensibilities do not support this idea... as envisioned in the U.S., anyway.
except in the case of Smerig, whom I mention below, they are an isolated case... formed by highly educated idealists in a squatted building 30 years ago. That would not be possible to do now, as squatting buildings was just officially outlawed.
Mediamatic on Vijzelstraat ( although I'm skeptical about how representative they are of Amsterdam bike culture)
Pete Jordan, of the National Bicyclists' Union ( he's originally from San Francisco)
Pete Jordan <petejordan1@yahoo.com>Perhaps also Pete's wife, Amy, who owns a bike shop in Amsterdam Noord.. she's also originally American. If you can't reach Pete by email, you could try her....a j jordan <
amytipker@yahoo.com>
It's very unfortunate that the people from Smerig bike shop, Amsterdam's only bike collective, are off on their annual 6-week vacation. ... maybe at least one of them is still in town, although I don't have personal contact info for those guys/gals.
There are also people in local government who specialize in bicycle policy.. Ria Hilhorst comes to mind, ( I haven't personally spoken with her)
the Fietsberaad, the National Bicycle Advisory Council... headquartered in Utrecht, a 1/2 hour train ride from Amsterdam. Don't personally know anyone there, but some of their policy recommendations are in English.
and Stichting Werkprojecten Amsterdam, a non-profit organization that runs the giant bike parking facilities all over town, also rehabilitates junkies by training them to repair bikes. If you talk to them, I recommend speaking to Bert Hoving)
Maybe you want to talk to someone about the municipal immigrant bike lesson program? American listeners might find that interesting.. although I'm not sure how well the people I know who teach the lessons speak English.. The lessons are not in session during the summer, but surely some of the 'professors' are in town.
You can reach me by email or by calling my local cell #: 06 419 20230. I would be happy to meet you for coffee, or whatever...
Enjoy your stay here..
friendly greetings,
Wendy Monroe
On 21 Jul 2010, at 20:22, Lon Richter wrote: