Amsterdam is the most bicycle-friendly city inward the earth , amongst 40% to 60% of all trips inside the metropolis made on bikes. Some approximate that at that topographic point are betwixt 880 ,000 to a 1000000 bicycles inward the metropolis , which is to a greater extent than than the city’s permanent population , past times equally much equally 20%. Amsterdam too has lots of canals —165 , amongst a combined length of 100 kilometers. Unavoidably , to a greater extent than or less of the bicycles terminate upwards getting wet. Did I tell some? How most xv ,000? That’s how many bicycles are retrieved from Amsterdam’s canals every year. In fact , angling for bicycles is a full-time business for the city.
Waternet , the means responsible keeping the canals build clean , employs a huge hydraulic hook , to fish out bicycles from the canal bed. The hook is connected to a crane that sits on the forepart of a barge. The society has been bike angling since the 1960s , together with they create this every day.
Photo credit: heather_mcnabb/Flickr
Nobody has a clear respond to why Amsterdam’s residents throw away together with therefore many bikes into the canals , only this habit of throwing things into the canals goes dorsum a long way. In the quondam days , the canals used to last an opened upwards sewer. There was no sewer organization inward Amsterdam , together with therefore the canals were similar an opened upwards lavatory together with trash-can for the people of Amsterdam.
In 1860 , Amsterdam started to run across the occupation together with began cleaning upwards the canals. But many Amsterdammers all the same hasn't totally kicked the habit of tossing things into the potable , peculiarly when they are drunk. It’s believed that most bicycles fished out from the canals are either stolen or victims of vandalism. Amsterdam Police approximate that betwixt 50 ,000 together with fourscore ,000 bikes are stolen each twelvemonth , yet real few study bike theft to the law because they intend that the law won’t create anything most it.
Most of the bikes dredged upwards from the canals terminate upwards equally combat metal. Though bikes aren’t the solely matter that gets caught inward the huge metallic claws. Occasionally workers would select upwards other items , such equally fridges together with fifty-fifty cars. Between 35 to 50 cars autumn into the canals each year. In most cases they are the number of an accident , only sometimes vandalism comes into play. Amsterdam has a special diving squad of the Fire Brigade to fish out cars , when such an accident is reported.
Bike angling has larn 1 of Amsterdam’s unique tourist attraction.
Photo credit: Pien Huang/PRI
Photo credit: Pien Huang/PRI
Photo credit: omyamsterdamtours.com
A machine pushed into a boat. Photo credit: www.dutchamsterdam.nl
Sources: DutchAmsterdam / Public Radio International