private transport

cars

Dispite the popularity of bicycles and public transportation in the Netherlands, cars are quite common, especially outside of the dense, urban areas. The Dutch are quite conservative in their cars, and the typical car would be something like a dark blue, silver or black sedan from Germany or Japan, less than five years old. Mercedes-Benz is a very popular maker, as are BMW, Alfa Romeo and FIAT. One thing the Dutch are suspicious of is anything flashy or extravagent. Although we've seen a few Ferraris and a couple of Rolls-Royces, they generally try to blend in as much as possible. Older cars are rare, but they are appreciated by the Dutch, especially if they are of "cheerful" or charming cars like British and French cars of the '50s and '60s. BMC Minis are quite popular, not to mention practical. There is also a very strange enthusiasm for American cars of the '60s and '70s, which are entirely impractical. American limousines and hearses are popular, if uncommon, and the Jeep is a status symbol for the nouveau riche, even though Land Rovers are far more sensible. Thankfully, between their bloated size and thirst for expensive gasoline (about $4 per gallon), SUVs have not become popular here.

In the past 60 years, there has been just one car manufacturer in the Netherlands: DAF. Although they are best known for their big trucks (which they still make) they had a period from the mid-'50s through mid-'70s when they made ideal cars for the Dutch environment. DAFs were compact cars that seated four but would fit into small parking spaces. They were about halfway in size between a Mini and a Beetle, and their engines were small, aircooled twins. Their most interesting feature was their "vario-matic drive" -- a simple, automatic transmission that eliminated the need for a clutch. Not only did it make driving easier, it also reduced mechanical wear to the drivetrain of a car that would, inevitably, spend a lot of time in traffic jams.

While DAF no longer makes cars, small cars are still the rule, rather than the exception here. Mercedes-Benz cars are common here, but one of their most popular models is also their smallest: the "A-Class" series -- not sold in the US. About the size of a New Beetle, its angular shape is more aerodynamic and holds more cargo. Another popular small car is the Smart Car, made by -- Swatch! Next to the small "A-Class" Benz, it is dwarfed. Imagine a love seat with a roof, and you get an idea of the Smart Car's size. You can configure one for color, interior, accessories and the like on their website, and have it delivered a few weeks later. Many of these are used as company cars for businesses whose employees do not need to carry much or travel very far. Although their tiny engine can take them at freeway speeds, I'd hate to get in an accident in one at anything over bicycle speed.

motorcycles

Curiously, motorcycles are uncommon here. Perhaps the foul weather is a factor, perhaps its because they don't carry much more than a bicycle, but whatever the reason, there are few motorcycles to be seen. Most of them tend to be BMWs, Moto Guzzis or generic Japanese sportbikes, although there are a few hideously noisy Harley-Davidsons as well. I've only seen one bike worth mentioning: an early-'80s Ducati F1, parked in front of an office building on Witte de With straat.

scooters and brommers

When we were planning our move here, we considered buying an old Vespa or Lambretta for jaunts around the greater Rotterdam area. Not only are they convenient parking-wise, I've had a couple dozen old Italian scooters and enjoyed working on them. After all, an old Vespa is kind of a cultural icon in Europe, right? Well, apparently, no-one told the Dutch that. We've seen exactly three Vespas since we arrived, and two of those were in Amsterdam. Why the scarcity? Probably because new Japanese and Italian scooters have ruined the image of the scooter being the local transport for the young bon viveur or eccentric intellectual.

These scooters, mostly by Aprilia and Gilera, are ridden by two kinds of people here: the teenage Turkish boy, and the middle-aged, overweight, lower-middle-class woman. Either way, the scooters are garishly designed and colored, and fiendishly noisy (mufflers must be optional, or perhaps biodegradible). Worse yet, although they could easily keep up with traffic on the street, they are allowed to use most bicycle paths. Their riders love to careen past bicyclists at 40 miles per hour, on the outside, narrowly missing oncoming cyclists. Mopeds are also common and are properly called "bromfietsen", although the term "brommers" is more common. Like scooters, they are diabolically noisy and are recklessly ridden, although their top speed is not much more than that of a bicycle with a healthy rider. It would be a great day should both of these menaces ever be banned.

invalid cars

If the sight of an oncoming scooter or brommer isn't frightning enough to cyclists, a tiny car putting towards them on the 4 foot-wide bicycle path surely is. There is nothing in the US quite like the invalid cars of Europe. Primarily intended as something more than a motorized wheelchair, they are used by people with mobility problems for getting to work, doing their shopping, etc. Imagine a car the size of a Lay-Z-Boy recliner, but fully-enclosed and with two seats and a gasoline motor. Limited to going about 30 miles per hour, they are also allowed to use bicycle lanes. Although there aren't that many of them, they're a significant obsticle when meeting one on the bike path, and they have the right-of-way. Still, it seems a practical alternative for the handicapped, and far more sensible during inclement weather than a wheelchair. One of the most amusing sights we've seen here was one of these invalid cars in Amsterdam that some young guy had gotten ahold of and put a souped-up engine in, with racing numbers painted on the doors!