Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s 9-Year-Old ‘Bike Mayor’ On How to Make the City Safe for Kids

Lotta Crok, Amsterdam’s new 9-year-old junior bicycle mayor. Photo: BYCS.org

What does the city look like through the eyes of a child cyclist? We're getting a better idea in Amsterdam thanks to 9-year-old Lotta Crok, the city's newest "junior bike mayor."

Katelijne Boerma, Amsterdam's Bicycle Mayor, created the junior bicycle mayor position in June as part of her goal to emphasize the experience of child cyclists in the city.

Crok was appointed after she won a competition last year for her idea to create a bike share bike specifically for children.

She told the Guardian, her idea for a kid-size shared bike was inspired by her travels with her family by train. Because there is never a public bike available for her when they disembark, she has to ride on the back of her dad's bike, which is unsafe.

The railway system that runs the public bike program offered to put a bike at the station near Crok's home, but she told the Guardian that wasn't good enough: "I am not bicycle mayor for myself, but for all children in Amsterdam."

Crok will help advise Boerma on how to make the city safe for its 125,000 children under 14.

She also wants to create a bicycle park in the city for children to learn to ride, so they don't have to take chances by learning in the street. Bicycles are a primary mode of transportation in Amsterdam but Crok has urged the city to be more bold, like Oslo, which banned cars in its city center.

Boerma told the Dutch news outlet NLC she is taking Crok's concerns seriously in her role as an advisor to city leadership.

"If you look at the city from the perspective of a child, you also make it easily accessible to others," she said. "If you design for eight-year-olds, you do the same for eighty-eight years old."

Bicycle Mayors are a global initiative by the Amsterdam-based bike advocacy group BYCS. Advocates in New York City have pushed for Mayor Bill de Blasio to create a Bike Mayor in city government to help advise the city about safety issues.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

At Least Local Transit Initiatives Won Big in Tuesday’s Election

Last Tuesday's election wasn't all bad news for transit.

November 11, 2024

PUMP THE BRAKES: A Veteran Driving Instructor Laments Rising Dangers on The Road

I’ve seen firsthand over 25 years as a driving instructor and DMV License Examiner that an increasing number of drivers no longer deserve that privilege.

November 11, 2024

Monday’s Headlines Have More Election Fallout

A Republican trifecta in Washington is very bad news for intercity rail, local transit, congestion pricing and (with the exception of Tesla) EVs, analysts say.

November 11, 2024

Analysis: A $9 Congestion Toll In NYC May Stave Off Trump, But Won’t Reduce Traffic as Much

A $9 tollcould raise enough money for the MTA and save face for Kathy Hochul, but it would not reduce traffic nearly enough.

November 8, 2024

Friday’s Headlines Remain Incomplete

Cities and states aren't devoting enough funding to Complete Streets to put much of a dent in the problem.

November 8, 2024
See all posts