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| Story of cities #30: how this Amsterdam inventor gave bike-sharing to the world | Story of cities #30: how this Amsterdam inventor gave bike-sharing to the world |
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| Take an old bicycle. Paint it white. Leave it anywhere in the city. Tell people to use it. This was the first urban bike-sharing concept in history. Launched in Amsterdam in the 1960s, it was called the Witte Fietsenplan (the “white bicycle plan”). And it was not a great success. | Take an old bicycle. Paint it white. Leave it anywhere in the city. Tell people to use it. This was the first urban bike-sharing concept in history. Launched in Amsterdam in the 1960s, it was called the Witte Fietsenplan (the “white bicycle plan”). And it was not a great success. |
| In fact, the plan was just another wild initiative by which Provo, an infamous group of Dutch anarchist activists, wanted to provoke the establishment and change society. But eventually the idea would revolutionise public transport across the world. Nowadays, hundreds of cities have bike-sharing systems, and the phenomenon is still growing. | In fact, the plan was just another wild initiative by which Provo, an infamous group of Dutch anarchist activists, wanted to provoke the establishment and change society. But eventually the idea would revolutionise public transport across the world. Nowadays, hundreds of cities have bike-sharing systems, and the phenomenon is still growing. |
| The original idea was floated on a summer’s day in 1965 as Provo’s answer to the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism. In the middle of Amsterdam, the activists painted a small number of used bikes white, and issued a pamphlet stating that “the white bike symbolises simplicity and hygiene as opposed to the gaudiness and filth of the authoritarian car”. The white bicycles were left unlocked around the city, to be used by anyone in need of transport. | The original idea was floated on a summer’s day in 1965 as Provo’s answer to the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism. In the middle of Amsterdam, the activists painted a small number of used bikes white, and issued a pamphlet stating that “the white bike symbolises simplicity and hygiene as opposed to the gaudiness and filth of the authoritarian car”. The white bicycles were left unlocked around the city, to be used by anyone in need of transport. |
| “I was inspired by what happened in 17th-century Amsterdam,” explains industrial engineer Luud Schimmelpennink. The inventor of the Witte Fietsenplan is now an energetic octogenarian with keen, blue eyes under bushy eyebrows, and who still lives – and cycles – in the Dutch capital. | “I was inspired by what happened in 17th-century Amsterdam,” explains industrial engineer Luud Schimmelpennink. The inventor of the Witte Fietsenplan is now an energetic octogenarian with keen, blue eyes under bushy eyebrows, and who still lives – and cycles – in the Dutch capital. |
| “In that era, Amsterdam doubled in size in a relatively short time, and it became blocked by all the carriages trying to get through. So the council set up ‘carriage squares’ on the outskirts of the city, where people could leave their carriage in order to continue by foot. This was exactly what Provo wanted: to make people leave their cars behind in order to continue by white bike.” | “In that era, Amsterdam doubled in size in a relatively short time, and it became blocked by all the carriages trying to get through. So the council set up ‘carriage squares’ on the outskirts of the city, where people could leave their carriage in order to continue by foot. This was exactly what Provo wanted: to make people leave their cars behind in order to continue by white bike.” |
| “We were young and we thought we could change the world,” remembers Sara Stolk-Duijs, who was involved in Provo as a teenager. “The white bike was a statement against the growing number of cars, which was a real problem in Amsterdam. The city simply deal couldn’t with all that traffic. It polluted the air and children couldn’t safely play in the streets any more.” | “We were young and we thought we could change the world,” remembers Sara Stolk-Duijs, who was involved in Provo as a teenager. “The white bike was a statement against the growing number of cars, which was a real problem in Amsterdam. The city simply deal couldn’t with all that traffic. It polluted the air and children couldn’t safely play in the streets any more.” |
| Stolk-Duijs even got married on a white bike, which caused a sensation in her hometown of Zaandam due to Provo’s notoriety. “To get married was very bourgeois of course, but in those days you had to if you wanted to live together as a couple. So we decided to do something fun. We took the bike of my future husband’s recently deceased grandfather, painted it white and rode it to the town hall, where we were met by fellow Provos. There was a lot of press.” | Stolk-Duijs even got married on a white bike, which caused a sensation in her hometown of Zaandam due to Provo’s notoriety. “To get married was very bourgeois of course, but in those days you had to if you wanted to live together as a couple. So we decided to do something fun. We took the bike of my future husband’s recently deceased grandfather, painted it white and rode it to the town hall, where we were met by fellow Provos. There was a lot of press.” |
| The Witte Fietsenplan may have attracted much attention, but it was short-lived. The free white bikes were quickly removed by the police, who were hostile to Provo’s anarchist initiatives. But for Schimmelpennink, and for bike-share schemes, this was just the beginning. | The Witte Fietsenplan may have attracted much attention, but it was short-lived. The free white bikes were quickly removed by the police, who were hostile to Provo’s anarchist initiatives. But for Schimmelpennink, and for bike-share schemes, this was just the beginning. |
| “The first Witte Fietsenplan was just a symbolic thing,” he says. “We painted a few bikes white, that was all. Things got more serious when I became a member of the Amsterdam city council two years later.” | “The first Witte Fietsenplan was just a symbolic thing,” he says. “We painted a few bikes white, that was all. Things got more serious when I became a member of the Amsterdam city council two years later.” |
| Schimmelpennink seized this opportunity to present a more elaborate Witte Fietsenplan. “My idea was that the municipality of Amsterdam would distribute 10,000 white bikes over the city, for everyone to use,” he explains. “I made serious calculations. It turned out that a white bicycle – per person, per kilometre – would cost the municipality only 10% of what it contributed to public transport per person per kilometre.” | Schimmelpennink seized this opportunity to present a more elaborate Witte Fietsenplan. “My idea was that the municipality of Amsterdam would distribute 10,000 white bikes over the city, for everyone to use,” he explains. “I made serious calculations. It turned out that a white bicycle – per person, per kilometre – would cost the municipality only 10% of what it contributed to public transport per person per kilometre.” |
| The council unanimously rejected the plan. “They said that the bicycle belongs to the past. They saw a glorious future for the car.” Schimmelpennink laughs heartily as he remembers – but he was not in the least discouraged. | The council unanimously rejected the plan. “They said that the bicycle belongs to the past. They saw a glorious future for the car.” Schimmelpennink laughs heartily as he remembers – but he was not in the least discouraged. |
| “I said, ‘You people don’t understand the power of this system. It’s a form of individual public transport. But if you want, I can do the same with cars.’” And so he went on to develop a system for sharing small electric cars, known as Witkarren. | “I said, ‘You people don’t understand the power of this system. It’s a form of individual public transport. But if you want, I can do the same with cars.’” And so he went on to develop a system for sharing small electric cars, known as Witkarren. |
| Thanks to the influence of the socialist politician Ed van Thijn, who believed in the project, Schimmelpennink got the chance to realise his idea in 1974 – but with only one station and four electric cars. To be able to use a witkar, one needed to become a member and pay a small contribution per mile. The whole thing functioned on a computer system that was primitive, but way ahead of its time. | Thanks to the influence of the socialist politician Ed van Thijn, who believed in the project, Schimmelpennink got the chance to realise his idea in 1974 – but with only one station and four electric cars. To be able to use a witkar, one needed to become a member and pay a small contribution per mile. The whole thing functioned on a computer system that was primitive, but way ahead of its time. |
| “It was a miracle we were able to pull it off,” Schimmelpennink recalls. “In the beginning, the police would drive behind the witkarren to see if anything would go wrong. At night we would park the cars in a church, because we were afraid they would be stolen. But in order to make it a success, we needed to have a network of at least 25 stations – and in the end, we were unable to finance the extension of the network. That’s why it didn’t work out. But there were witkarren on the streets for 10 years, and we proved that a system like that could function.” | “It was a miracle we were able to pull it off,” Schimmelpennink recalls. “In the beginning, the police would drive behind the witkarren to see if anything would go wrong. At night we would park the cars in a church, because we were afraid they would be stolen. But in order to make it a success, we needed to have a network of at least 25 stations – and in the end, we were unable to finance the extension of the network. That’s why it didn’t work out. But there were witkarren on the streets for 10 years, and we proved that a system like that could function.” |
| Schimmelpennink never stopped believing in bike sharing either, and in the mid 90s, two Danes asked for his help to set up a system in Copenhagen. The result was the world’s first large-scale bike-share programme. It worked on a deposit: “You dropped a coin in the bike and when you returned it, you got your money back. A lot of bikes got stolen though, because the users could remain anonymous.” | Schimmelpennink never stopped believing in bike sharing either, and in the mid 90s, two Danes asked for his help to set up a system in Copenhagen. The result was the world’s first large-scale bike-share programme. It worked on a deposit: “You dropped a coin in the bike and when you returned it, you got your money back. A lot of bikes got stolen though, because the users could remain anonymous.” |
| After setting up the Danish system, Schimmelpennink decided to try his luck again in the Netherlands – and this time, he succeeded in arousing the interest of the Dutch Ministry of Transport. “Times had changed,” he recalls. “People had become more environmentally conscious, and the Danish experiment had proved that bike sharing was a real possibility.” | After setting up the Danish system, Schimmelpennink decided to try his luck again in the Netherlands – and this time, he succeeded in arousing the interest of the Dutch Ministry of Transport. “Times had changed,” he recalls. “People had become more environmentally conscious, and the Danish experiment had proved that bike sharing was a real possibility.” |
| A new Witte Fietsenplan was launched in 1999 in Amsterdam. Riding a white bike was no longer free of charge; it cost one guilder per trip and payment was made with a chip card developed by Postbank, a Dutch bank. Schimmelpennink designed conspicuous, sturdy white bikes locked in special racks which could be opened with the chip card – the plan started with 250 bikes, distributed over five stations. | A new Witte Fietsenplan was launched in 1999 in Amsterdam. Riding a white bike was no longer free of charge; it cost one guilder per trip and payment was made with a chip card developed by Postbank, a Dutch bank. Schimmelpennink designed conspicuous, sturdy white bikes locked in special racks which could be opened with the chip card – the plan started with 250 bikes, distributed over five stations. |
| “It was great to work with Schimmelpennink; he was very enthusiastic, full of ideas and always one step ahead,” says Theo Molenaar, a system designer for the project. “I remember when we were testing the bike racks, he announced that he had already designed better ones. But of course, we had to go through with the ones we had.” | “It was great to work with Schimmelpennink; he was very enthusiastic, full of ideas and always one step ahead,” says Theo Molenaar, a system designer for the project. “I remember when we were testing the bike racks, he announced that he had already designed better ones. But of course, we had to go through with the ones we had.” |
| The system, however, was prone to vandalism and theft. “After every weekend there would always be a couple of bikes missing,” Molenaar says. “I really have no idea what people did with them, because they could instantly be recognised as white bikes.” | The system, however, was prone to vandalism and theft. “After every weekend there would always be a couple of bikes missing,” Molenaar says. “I really have no idea what people did with them, because they could instantly be recognised as white bikes.” |
| But the biggest blow came when Postbank decided to abolish the chip card, because it wasn’t profitable. “That chip card was pivotal to the system,” Molenaar says. “To continue the project we would need to set up another system, but the business partners lost interest.” | But the biggest blow came when Postbank decided to abolish the chip card, because it wasn’t profitable. “That chip card was pivotal to the system,” Molenaar says. “To continue the project we would need to set up another system, but the business partners lost interest.” |
| Schimmelpennink was disappointed, but – characteristically – not for long. In 2002 he got a call from the French advertising corporation JC Decaux, who wanted to set up his bike-sharing scheme in Vienna. “That went really well. After Vienna, they set up a system in Lyon. Then in 2007, Paris followed. That was a decisive moment in the history of bike sharing.” | Schimmelpennink was disappointed, but – characteristically – not for long. In 2002 he got a call from the French advertising corporation JC Decaux, who wanted to set up his bike-sharing scheme in Vienna. “That went really well. After Vienna, they set up a system in Lyon. Then in 2007, Paris followed. That was a decisive moment in the history of bike sharing.” |
| The huge and unexpected success of the Parisian bike-sharing programme (which now boasts more than 20,000 bicycles) inspired cities all over the world to set up their own schemes, all modelled on Schimmelpennink’s. “It’s wonderful that this happened,” he says. “But financially I didn’t really benefit from it, because I never filed for a patent.” | The huge and unexpected success of the Parisian bike-sharing programme (which now boasts more than 20,000 bicycles) inspired cities all over the world to set up their own schemes, all modelled on Schimmelpennink’s. “It’s wonderful that this happened,” he says. “But financially I didn’t really benefit from it, because I never filed for a patent.” |
| By the end of 2014, the number of shared bikes in the world amounted to almost one million. China led the charts with more than 750,000 shared bikes in 237 cities, followed by France with almost 43,000 bikes in 38 cities. Britain was seventh highest with almost 11,000 bikes. Only last month, the Dutch city of Rotterdam announced yet another Witte Fietsenplan, this time using more than 450 electric bicycles and 20 stations, to be implemented in 2017. | By the end of 2014, the number of shared bikes in the world amounted to almost one million. China led the charts with more than 750,000 shared bikes in 237 cities, followed by France with almost 43,000 bikes in 38 cities. Britain was seventh highest with almost 11,000 bikes. Only last month, the Dutch city of Rotterdam announced yet another Witte Fietsenplan, this time using more than 450 electric bicycles and 20 stations, to be implemented in 2017. |
| Nowadays 38% of all trips are made by bike in Amsterdam and, along with Copenhagen, it is feted as one of the two most cycle-friendly capitals in the world – but the city never got another Witte Fietsenplan. “I guess the reason why it never worked out is that everybody in Amsterdam already has a bike,” says Molenaar. | Nowadays 38% of all trips are made by bike in Amsterdam and, along with Copenhagen, it is feted as one of the two most cycle-friendly capitals in the world – but the city never got another Witte Fietsenplan. “I guess the reason why it never worked out is that everybody in Amsterdam already has a bike,” says Molenaar. |
| Related: Story of cities #31: Skopje plans for the future by fixating on its ancient past | |
| “Nonsense,” says Schimmelpennink. “People who travel on the underground don’t carry bikes around. But often they need additional transport to reach their final destination. If a bike-sharing system could take care of that, it would reduce the costs of public transport enormously. | “Nonsense,” says Schimmelpennink. “People who travel on the underground don’t carry bikes around. But often they need additional transport to reach their final destination. If a bike-sharing system could take care of that, it would reduce the costs of public transport enormously. |
| “I really think it’s strange and unreasonable that Amsterdam doesn’t have a proper bike-sharing system. In the 60s we didn’t stand a chance because people were prepared to give their lives to keep cars in the city. But that mentality has totally changed. Today everybody longs for cities that are not dominated by cars.” | “I really think it’s strange and unreasonable that Amsterdam doesn’t have a proper bike-sharing system. In the 60s we didn’t stand a chance because people were prepared to give their lives to keep cars in the city. But that mentality has totally changed. Today everybody longs for cities that are not dominated by cars.” |
| At 80 years of age, Schimmelpennink is still active – and still hopeful. The godfather of bike sharing is currently working on a new system of shared electric cars that will connect the Amsterdam Hermitage with the Van Gogh and Stedelijk museums. He has already found a business partner. | At 80 years of age, Schimmelpennink is still active – and still hopeful. The godfather of bike sharing is currently working on a new system of shared electric cars that will connect the Amsterdam Hermitage with the Van Gogh and Stedelijk museums. He has already found a business partner. |
| “I have always had a passion for progress,” he says. “So I am giving it one more try. It would be great if I could make this work before I die.” | “I have always had a passion for progress,” he says. “So I am giving it one more try. It would be great if I could make this work before I die.” |
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