Car

A curious report in last week’s Vrij Nederland: British artist Jeremy Deller is praised by the Guardian for his brilliant idea to exhibit a car wreck from a Bagdad car bombing, whereas in reality the idea was not his. The wreck was exhibited in Amsterdam three years ago, and is now embarking on its second or third life as an art object.

On 5 March 2007, a car with about 200 kgs of explosives exploded at Bagdad’s book market. Not only were 38 people killed; also, Iraq was robbed of its intellectual heart. ‘Lobotomy’ had been performed on Bagdad, as Joost Janmaat of Partizan Publik would later express it.

The government focusses too much on the disadvantages of the car, argues urban geographer Joram Grünfeld. Increasingly, Amsterdammers turn to neighbouring municipalities for work and recreation. This requires a good transportation infrastructure.

Next Thursday, Grünfeld hopes to obtain his doctorate with a thesis on ‘polycentric’ urban residents. By this term, he refers to people who frequently stay in at least three different cities for work, recreation and housing. In Amsterdam, the share of polycentric residents has doubled over the past 25 years, from 13% to 25%.

The new city administration wants Amsterdam to remain Europe’s number 1 bicycle city. The area within the A10 ring road will have reduced car traffic and there will be more bicycle stands, waiting time indicators and green waves for cyclists. In addition, there a ‘moped policy’ will be developed. These measures have been announced in the coalition agreement presented last week by PvdA, GroenLinks and VVD.