The Miniature Microcars of Amsterdam 

Wow, thanks for sharing! It's interesting to hear what it's like to grow up there. In particular, the independence for children and teenagers is really important. I think every suburban hell could be a little bit less hellish with a "slow traffic" network. It really should be more common.

I own a Ford F-250 but given the CHOICE if I could get around my city in a small electric cart without the government taxing the hell out of me I would do it. But oftentimes they want DMV fees license plates you can't drive a golf cart on public roads. The Auto industry is intrenched in America. Unfortunately.

@@rxonmymind8362 definitely, but I feel it would help a lot if people like you started raising awareness about these kinds of changes. Especially since you're driving a big pickup truck. People tend to look around them, see everyone driving cars and assume that this is just the way things are. Nobody would dare to approach you with such an idea, fearing a heated argument with a passionate truck owner. That's why you're in an especially good position to talk about it. Nobody expects the F250 owner to want to downscale dramatically if he had the opportunity. It gives people hope that change is possible.

@@NotJustBikes You remember when you said Denmark isn't good at cycling infastucture your pretty wrong. yes Ik most of it is painted but the thing is that they still do function well so do the segregated paths. But atleast you can say our roads actully safe enough to cycle on! lol

I live close by and go there to ride my bike. People complain about it but the schools are nice and so are the paths.

Do you know anyone who still has one? Maybe someone would be willing to let you use it for a short while and review it.

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Articulated scooter? 🤔I'm having trouble even picturing it. 😀

Me too! I´d love to see a full in-depth review of such a micro car. As someone who lives in a smaller city in the Netherlands I haven't seen a lot of those cars in my life. I guess this is another one of those Amsterdam-only things XD

Honda s660

Very!

Yes give it to The Stig.

Only if it is a micro review!

yet the best biggest traders there are, its there art

someone once said it is because there is never any sun (apart from current heatwave). So we need to grow taller to get more sunlight lmao. I thought that was funny as hell. Also, we are the tallest, not one of the tallest ;) (thats on average)

@@anglerfish61 Oh, LOL, just like plants!

@@silviasanchez648 yes haha

And also the lowest average elevation

That wasn't a cooper

@@Moses_VII or the countyman

@@crabrangoon2493 Yes it was, and actually it's badged as a Cooper Countryman, so it's technically also a Cooper.

It is indeed a Countryman, but either way, the size difference is ridiculous

He got a Range Rover following a truck at an appropriate moment too. Neat touches :)

In my city I often see people in wheelchairs on sidewalks. But on the poorer side of town the sidewalks aren't always maintained, and sometimes don't exist, so it's also normal to see wheelchairs sharing the road with cars. Insanity.

Live and learn. My first long cycle trip, from Eindhoven to Wetzlar and back, was at the end of the sixties. And yes, dad took me. I was scared eh, shirtless crossing right through the centre of Köln. In all 1000 in 9 days at 12 years old. Think we've come a long way, where we go next I don't know. But I'd rather live here, with room to breathe fresh air, than that monstrosity Köln...

Im Dutch lel

@@FantaTrackpad who the fuck asked

It’s not Dutch, it’s from Amsterdam. Being from Groningen I had never seen these until I visited Amsterdam.

@@royhoeksema5720 Heb je dan nog nooit iemand met een 45 km/u wagentje gezien? Ik woon vrij ver van Holland (niet Friesland fyi) en zie ze regelmatig.

Wow, that's great! I'll have to visit Peachtree City some time!

@@NotJustBikes Kind of reminds me of Discovery Bay, Hong Kong. It would be interesting to see it covered since it has a rather unique mix of transit and density

@@NotJustBikes I would have interest in a Video of there and a look at NON BIG car alternatives that are CLOSER to compatible with US suburban neighbourhoods

tried to use google street view to see if there are as many golf carts as people say and unless I'm looking at the wrong walmart they only had one golfcart and the rest were cars. are all the golfcarts in a more centralized area and not throughout the actual city?

I thought you said PragerU 😂

Less fuel cost means more disposable income.

True as long I have a car on street and y’all don’t.

If this cars are parked on pedestrian walks - they not better than conventional cars.

*Cries in Canada*

@@Bork_In_Volcanic well yeah - if you replace all big cars with small cars and let them all park on the sidewalk you'd have a problem. But in a scenario where this'd be the case, the parking spots would be used - and they can be smaller too, leaving more space for the sidewalk. A sensible government would not let the general population park their microcars on the sidewalk and reserve that right for the disabled - exactly like Amsterdam has already done.

monocatz hhaahaha ik ga stuk

Zo ga ik ze ook noemen

Of gewoon 45km autootjes zoals ik het zeg

LOL die is goed

I like that. There used to be one in De Pijp with a Ferrari-style body.

what is the speed on golf carts 20 MPH ? not far different from a BIKE

m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z93QpgGJRDA.html

I live in Europe and I wish we had it half as good as you do in Australia. Owning a car here is expensive and frustrating, that's why we have cars like these. It's not like Australia where you own SUV and utility vehicles, have low gas prices, and large wide roads. We have this because we can't have anything better.

@@bengillen1287 the numbers on accidents and quality of life between car-centric cities and walkable/cyclable ones like Amsterdan certainly disagree with you. Large wide roads are good for long travels and big trucks, but they certainly aren't inherently better than roads that make a city safer for pedestrians, cyclists and people with low mobility.

As someone who lives in Australia, in a suburb 40kms from the center of Melbourne, I can't agree. And to be honest I think you've misdiagnosed the nature of your problem. Much of Australia isn't as bad as the standard US fiasco, but it's still pretty bad, and every single SUV makes it worse. Every single SVU or larger vehicle blocks the sight lines of every other car on the road, they're intrinsically dangerous because they effectively blind people. Every single SVU takes twice as long as a more sensibly size car to park. They take up *more* parking and road infrastructure. If I look down my street I'll see 10+ cars parked on the side of the road, turning what would be an otherwise overly wide road into an obstacle course of parked cars. They're god damn louder too because they're heavier. SVUs and larger vehicles literally encourage what I can only call an arms race - Similar to picking up your baggage at an airport. Being close to the baggage carrousel means you can pick up your luggage immediately, but you block everyone else from being able to see theirs, so they also have to step forward, now everyone is around the carrousel and there's too many people, it's too crowded, and half of all the people are stuck at the back unable to get their luggage and leave. If instead everyone took a step back, it'd be fine. SVUs are the same - people buy them and think "Oh this is great, I can see over all the other cars in my giant monster of a vehicle". Then the next person who would've driven a sensible car instead goes "This sucks, I'm penned in by jerks in SVUs, I can't see anything" And on, and on, until everyone has a stupidly large car that they don't need for any other reason than we couldn't take a step back.

as a previous user of a Canta like vehicle, i can tell you driving there isnt the best thing in the world. But i am unable to cycle on a normal bike, and i needed a method of getting to treatment and family. So i understand you, but i'd like to be understood as well. if not for me, but for others using them in their legitimate way.

I wonder if it wouldn’t be better to have these cars on the road instead of the bike lane. At least in residential areas.

Man, I wish this was the biggest problem I had with cars when riding my bike......

Perhaps the time has come for an over-all reflection on the nature, design, and management of single-person and family transportation? By default, I drive a hatchback. Here in Denmark, there aren't that many alternatives to fossil fuel to me, because I regularly drive long distances out of necessity. Electrical cars do exist, but they are still quite expensive, and so far no one has come up with how to charge them when you live in an apartment. Private lease is on the rise, so the price tag issue will eventually be a thing of the past, but the charging issue remains, as most Danish "apartment areas" are too densely built up to conveniently and feasibly leave room for the chargers. There's also the challenge of vandalism to take into account. If I could wield a magic wand, electricity could be bottled and tanked, just like petrol/gasoline and diesel fuels. Until then, I have to stick with twenty years old VW Golf.

@@thomasraahauge5231 You say that most ''apartment areas'' in Denmark are too dense for space to charge electric microcars to be an option, so presumably those areas are car free? Or do they have normal cars including oversized SUVs parked on the street and in underground garages? If so there is space for electric cars, micro and normal sized.

I was thinking the same thing! As soon as he started talking at that section I thought it was going to be about the villages

Lol, that's awesome

I feel the same way

The Tweezy is an awesome car, hook a small trailer up to it and it would be a cool little run about.

tweezy is essentially just a biro that's a tiny bit larger.

look at Cina they have many small electric cars which run with regular batteries and go about 50Km/h, they are much cheaper than the modern lithium battery things+ batteries can easily be recycled. They are a bit like golf carts, these things should be common in citys.

*twizy and also, they are EXPENSIVO. 8k euros

@@hx.925 Still half the price of a biro or canta

honestly I dont see that happening anytime soon. A car for short trips is usually seen as an inconvinience. At least in my city (Rotterdam) so a micro car will have the same feel

@@foobar9220 At the same time though, most cars are single occupancy most of the time. Wouldn't cities be much better with microcars replacing regular cars and only larger vehicles and cargo vehicles when actually necessary? The larger vehicles could be shared (or perhaps rented) among a larger amount of people.

That is why you discourage regular car use and encourage microcar use. Then they will replace cars. It all is about proper policy.

@@MrAronymous Not only that but the vast majority of car trips are still fairly short to medium distance and often on urban roads. Sure not all are but for most people that currently own and maintain a car I bet that a one or two seat vehicle capable of 50 km/h that can handle a few bags of groceries would suffice for 95+% of their car trips. If the economies of scale kick in to make microcars far cheaper to buy and maintain than regular cars I suspect many current drivers would be financially better off choosing to own one and simply rent a conventional car when necessary. After all it is not like the ability to rent these vehicles will go away in fact if this caused the demand for rentals to go up as people kept a smaller vehicle for day-to-day use the existing operators would expand to facilitate this change. Asset leasing is and always has been a big business precisely because it is often more economical to operate cheaper alternatives that work most of the time and simply buy in flexibility as and when you need it to handle the but sometimes situations.

I agree, but I can see it being used as cars for kids who only need transportation to school or work, it would be easy to learn and schools are usually within 5-10 miles from the neighborhood it serves

As opposed to "figuratively" no solution?

@@martinc.720 Ew

Yes, the US has gone insane with SUVs, and have effectively turned road safety into an arms race. The book "High and Mighty" (ISBN 1-58648-123-1) is well worth a read, and it explains the reason why SUVs became a thing in the US.

Man the North American fetish with SUVs pisses me off to no end. I have actually driven Smart cars before (RIP Car2Go in Canada), and I always had a soft spot for those little things. While I have never done it, I figure I could probably fit stuffs from a Costco trip in the trunk, which means it could do pretty much everything 80% of SUV drivers would actually do with their SUVs anyway (I doubt most of them would ever drive on gravel roads, nevermind actual offroading). And sure, they are very expensive, but then again, so are other new cars nowadays. And I have gotten stuck in fairly deep snow with it before, but then again, that's really not unique with Smart cars. I have driven it quite a bit in order to build up my highway mileage for my driver's licence test, including a fairly impromptu trip in winter. And I always figured that's the car I'm gonna buy if I ever buy a car. Well, Daimler stopped selling them here, so that's out of the window, and I'm left with 108 different flavours of SUVs. Ugh.

@@NotJustBikes Good timing with Spring quarter ending going to finally have some time to read some personal reads. Hopefully the library reopens soon! I'll add the books to my request list.

@@BicyclesMayUseFullLane yea Seattle had cars 2 go for a while but the city council didn't see much success. It's a strange case here in Washington, we keep trying different projects like Lime Bikes, Lime Scooters, and Lime cars (for a moment.) They all seem to be abused and abandoned. Would be an interesting subject to study the Uber ride share, vehicle share craze.

@@BicyclesMayUseFullLane Also all the cool new smaller EVs are not coming to North America the ID3 nope, Honda E nope, hell I'd love a Renault ZOE nope.

As someone's whose disabled and basically needs a car to go anywhere, I'd much prefer a micro car than a regular one, even better if it's an EV :) Too bad I don't live in the Netherlands.

Um, anyone who looks at me would at a glance all med able bodied, but due to other issues I can't operate a full size car and have been looking at would be a moped where a live. Hell this completely rules out the legally blind who should not drive.

I feel like bike infrastruce can go well together with car infrastructure its not one or the other.. especially with how wide roads are in north america

I think the uk handles disability and cars well. You apply for a disability badge, which you can put behind your windscreen. If you don’t have one, you’re assumed to not be disabled.

@@evaahh9584 The US does the same, but it is quite common for people to take it upon themselves to assume that the person in the vehicle has acquired their badge illegitimately. Because much those who are bent out of shape about the mini-cars, people are lousy at minding their own business.

Urban Assault Vehicle, I like that word. Yet in the Netherlands cars are also very popular in the countryside, due to public transport and distances too great for cycling. But E-bikes, speedpedelecs and velomobiles are changing that.

It is as well in NL. I remember going to the Car museum near Wassenaar a year ago. They had about 25 of the for a few months (half from collectors), one of which was a p50 (maybe the one Jeremy Clarkson rode in Top Gear).

And it's ok, nobody should force people to drive small cars. I personally don't like suv that much, sport coupes are much funnier. But in case when people are getting assaulted by a mob it's better to have an SUV.

@@-ahvilable-6654 ... why would you be assaulted by a mob? How often does it happen in your town?

Great term man ! Very true lived in perth and couldn't believe the amount of prado's

How fast they go and the Dutch is frugal and thrifty

@@carlosreid51 Canta is limited to 45km/h, the same as yellow plate mopeds.

I remember when an aquintance got a canta about 20 years ago. She was so happy. She has mobility issues and now was able to get places independently again. She looks young and healthy until you see her trying to walk. I think Cantas are great. You can even sit in them with two people. It's a tight squeeze but it's possible and allowed.

At the end its a normal car. I own a Daihatsu Cuore that is "Kei Car" in Japan. Its easy to drive and find parking lots, the consumption is very low (5l/100 at normal drive, 3l driving after a truck) It can go 160km/h on german Autobahn (only tested this once on a wind still day and perfect road, it feels not very comfortable) . But its still a double the size of a micro car.

@@wasserdrucker6227 This is true - a "kei" car is defined partly by a limit on its engine size, which was raised several times over the years, but is somewhere around 600-700cc and is typically a conventional three-cylinder four-stroke design. Probably a classic Austin Mini could qualify as a "kei" car with relatively minor modifications. For comparison, a petrol-engined moped is supposed to be under 50cc, which generally necessitates a single-cylinder two-stroke design. Such a small engine can power a microcar, if geared down a bit lower than for a two-wheeled scooter, which would also reduce the top speed.

the KEI car also comes with BIG ownership perks over a "normal" car one being NOT having to OWN / prove you have a dedicated parking spot as they can go for more then a whole house in parts of Tokyo plus LOWER fees and have an engine power and "footprint" size limit

@@Kromaatikse the SMART is the ONLY non Japanese KEI car that I know of and a MINI is to big I believe

@@jasonriddell That's why I specified the original Austin Mini, not the new BMW-made "tribute". The main modification it would need is a compliant engine, as the standard unit (four-cylinder) is too big; modern engine technology means it shouldn't be a sacrifice in terms of performance.

I live in Amsterdam, and I'm rather "meh" on the subject of microcars. I can't imagine being the only one. But there definitely are lots of people who fall into the two categories you mention. :)

I'd hate it to have 'em around, but luckily in Berlin we don't have these.

this 'you have two kinds of people' thing is so dumb..

The renault tweezy can go 80km/h im pretty sure

velometro especially.

Won't be surprised if NIMBY types try to get them banned.

I'd be happy just being able to ride a bike without getting hit by an SUV.

in amsterdam they are everywhere

Aixam jonge! 😄

Biro's zijn de Canta's van Zuid.

As a wheelchair user myself, seeing someone call disabled people "vulnerable", and say that it "warms their heart" to see a wheelchair user do something... I don't know how I feel about that. Kind of feels like the person would pat me on the head simply for being out of the house.

Someone I know has medical complications that make it so that she shouldnt do physical work around the house. They dont like it when people go out of their way to try and baby them, ex do every thing for them despite it hurting to move around. So I understand what you mean. But I guarantee, that when we try and do these things for others, we do it with good intent. Which is why communication is important, so we can understand eachothers feelings.

@@halinaqi2194 Out of ignorance, often times. Babying someone because of a disability comes from the fact that people assume that a disabled person is unable to do even the most simple thing. Instead of asking the person if they need help, a lot of people do things for that person, even when told not to do it. They force their help because they assume “well, he can’t walk, of course he cannot…” Or they just start pushing someone’s wheelchair “to be nice”. It’s as unacceptable as pushing someone in the back as they walk. I often see that the person does something not because they want to do something useful for me, but because they want to feel good about themselves because they “helped the disabled”. People have to accept “no” as an answer when they offer help. If the person is able to do something, they are not going to let someone else do it. We know people mean well, but “no” means “no” even for disabled people. Ask before doing something for them, and if they say no, just accept that answer. And feeling that it “warms your heart” to see a disabled person do something is just ridiculous. It shows that the person thinks that a person with a disability is unable to do anything. Complete ignorance.

@@martinc.720 My understanding of the first comment was not that it warmed his heart to see a disabled person do something, but instead to see the tools that enable the disabled person in the video to use the car. That's at least how I saw it, I'm fascinated by the engineering that enables people to do things they otherwise could not. (Water level warning for pooring up hot water, text to speech software, VR to experience traveling). (I personally used text to speech a lot when studying). Edit: Spelling

"Necessary evil" "Warms my heart" Yeah coddling disabled people is not the way here.

They don't really have them in the UK but some people have what I guess you could say are microcars a 'g-wiz'. Although you'd struggle to see one almost anywhere in the country let alone in london

Don't rent a Biró - I believe I can arrange for you to have one on loan for free. Edited: confirmed with the owner.

@@arikb well done. Hope this comment is seen. A review would be great.

Canta's are very popular in Amsterdam Noord (North). So Noord is named Canta city.

Lot of Cantas here in Amsterdam West, too. But I can't remember seeing too many in Maastricht

Yes, it's going to be a problem, because new vehicles are going to keep being created. The ultimate solution is to take space away from regular cars, and widen the cycle paths. Maybe even start to separate bicycles from other slow traffic as well.

@@NotJustBikes High efficiency transport (that is where the cargo/occupants weighs more than the vehicle) seems the big opportunity in compact European cities. In the last 5 years here there has been much change to the road system here, so 2 way roads become 1-way with larger spaces around the road for whatever purpose (which may involve car parks). Many roads become traversable via foot & by bike, but not by cars. That many cargo-bikes are designer items rather than utilitarian seems a barrier/opportunity.

In the U.S.A., one problem we have is that there are two kinds of cyclists: 1) Bicyclists going 10-15 MPH and "2) "Cyclists" who want to go 20-25 MPH. Yes, many "Cyclists" are pedaling their expensive lightweight bikes faster than 40 KPH, speeds that rival a typical "e-bike." A 15 MPH (25 KPH) difference in speed is a major issue, and it is not uncommon for a casual cyclist to be injured -- AND BLAMED -- by a "Cyclist" who is apparently an aspiring kamikaze pilot. Most U.S. off-street cycle paths are designed for recreational cyclists, with sharp curves and blind corners, and few on-street cycle "lanes" are wide enough for one cyclist to pass another at high speed. I don't think bicycling over 20 MPH is safe, because the vehicle can't be stopped quickly without risking loss of control, the cyclist flying over the handlebars, etc. However, "Cyclists" reject any speed limit for cycles.

Yes, apparently I don't know my minis! 😁

@@NotJustBikes the FIAT 500 would be the "successor" and the smallest sold-in-the-USA "normal" car

Hi! Thanks for the message. Yes, I planned to do a video about the tegelijk groen. I even tried to film it when I was in Groningen, but there wasn't very much traffic when I was there, so the video isn't very good (five bikes going through isn't very impressive). You're right that the situation in Rotterdam was very interesting, because it failed very badly there. I might still to do a video about these some day, but at the very least, I'll want to go back to Groningen, so it may be a while. But also, A View From the Cyclepath has already done videos about these a few times, so maybe not. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fR8TlowA0ag.html

Here in Manitoba, golfcarts and similar vehicles aren't allowed on the street. They must stay on the sidewalk, along with mobility scooters.

and being "in front" of the Fiat makes it LOOK bigger due to perspective

Thanks! I created it because I hated how so many RU-vid videos were long and rambling or dry and boring. As for popularity, the channel has only been around for six months and already has 20k subscribers, so I'm not complaining! 😁

i've been driving a twizy for 1yr now and it has blown my mind. i did not expect the amounts of joy, ease of use and freedom it gives me. it was supposed to be a cheap temporary solution but i can't imagine a life without it anymore.

That may change soon. In Amsterdam it will be illegal to park a Birò on the sidewalk after July 1st.

I agree with them though. The shelter from the rain, and especially shelter from liquid dirt getting onto your pants, the ability to drive that thing when tired or right after eating without puking, the ability to look like you're the rich kind of gay and not the poor urban kind of gay, the ability to haul stuff without buying a rare expensive cargo bike imported all the way from the Netherlands... And most important of all - the ability to properly sit down and lean back. Not with the neck in most golf carts, but still - a park bench level of comfort is far better than a bicycle seat. Oh, and the fact that you can go further without being physically prepared for it over decades of Dutch life. And the fact that it's harder to steal a golf cart, you can even put electric anti-theft devices into it - something you can't do with a bicycle, too little space, especially on an ebike with all that space taken up already.

Indien je alleen in de binnenstad van Amsterdam komt zie je weinig moderne architectuur. Daarbuiten zie je enorm veel 'moderne' architectuur. In en rond Amsterdam word veel meer en kwalitatief beter gebouwd dan in Rotterdam. Op een paar hoge gebouwen na dan.

Registrations, regulations...

My too, I think, I don't remember anything.

Regulations exist for a reason