At last, the Dutch strike back. No public transport today nationwide, I think, and certainly in Amsterdam. The unions are protesting over the government's cut-left-right-and-centre policies. And about time too. There'll be chaos on the roads - even more than usual - and I have to cycle to work. Could cycle every morning in fact but I usually take the metro. On Saturday, the protest continues with a mass demonstration at Museumplein. I hate crowds but will have to be there somehow..
No bus, no train, no work...
Well, it's 12 noon now and there was no chaos to be seen on the roads during my twenty-five minute cycle ride and it's been quieter than quiet ever since. This is the Dutch way of protesting - plan your strike for a Monday so everyone can take a long weekend. Reckon they all just stayed at home.
Queuing all the way round the globe
Traffic jams are the norm in the Netherlands. Every time we go outside Amsterdam by car we get stuck in one. In fact, they're so normal that most people don't talk about them any more. According to the ANWB Dutch motorist organisation's magazine 'Kampioen', there were more than 32,000 traffic jams in the Netherlands last year, covering a total of 108,400 kilometres - or enough to go more than two-and-a-half times round the globe!!
To remedy this, the government is barging ahead with a plan to allow traffic to use the hard shoulder of the motorway (the strip next to the slow lane) during rush hours. Police, fire and ambulance services will have to weave in and out through the middle of traffic to reach motorists trapped in an accident or a fire.
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