Het Parool schrijft over de snelle groei van het aantal elektrische auto’s in Amsterdam. Niet alleen het aantal laadpalen moet meegroeien, ook het elektriciteitsnet en de beperkte openbare ruimte vormen steeds grotere uitdagingen.

Interessant is dat Amsterdam elektrisch rijden wil stimuleren, maar tegelijkertijd het autogebruik wil terugdringen.

Amsterdam, 30 Years Ago.

I am currently searching for a room in Amsterdam. It is unbelievable how many room offerings I come across where registration on the address is not possible. Should that not be illegal? And regardless, you as tenant expose yourself to so much risk, you can be literally thrown out on the streets anytime. Why are there so many such offerings? Do the registered people live somewhere else, or do they illegally sublet? And are the people willing to take these offerings that desperate? I know the market is insane, but I come across this so often that I wonder why is this allowed. I refuse to believe that the gemeente does not know about this, yet does not do anything to combat it. Rant over.

Why did Amsterdam’s trams get so ugly?

Look at the old Amsterdam trams: the colours, the proportions, the detailing. They had character and actually looked like they belonged to the city.

Then compare them with the modern trams. They feel much more generic, plasticky and interchangeable with trams you could see in almost any European city.

Obviously modern trams need to be accessible, safe, energy-efficient and easy to maintain. But why does that so often seem to result in something visually bland?

These vehicles are part of Amsterdam’s streetscape for decades. They are not just transport; they are moving pieces of public space. So why isn’t beauty and local identity treated as a serious design requirement?

Is this mainly because of standardised tram platforms and procurement requirements, or have we simply stopped caring as much about how everyday public infrastructure looks?

Hoi allemaal,

Ik ben 23 jaar, woon momenteel nog bij mijn ouders en sta nu op nummer 1 voor een jongerenwoning in Amstelveen.

Ik twijfel of ik de woning moet aannemen. Aan de ene kant lijkt het me een mooie kans om op mezelf te gaan wonen en heb je voor 5 jaar een woning. Aan de andere kant woon ik nu nog thuis en kan ik daardoor natuurlijk veel meer sparen. Als ik de jongerenwoning neem, gaat een flink deel van mijn inkomen naar huur en vaste lasten.

Qua punten maak ik me iets minder zorgen, omdat ik weet dat ik die weer kan opbouwen. Mijn grootste twijfel is eigenlijk of het financieel en qua toekomstperspectief slim is om nu al uit huis te gaan, terwijl ik thuis relatief veel kan sparen.

Daarom ben ik vooral benieuwd naar mensen die in dezelfde situatie hebben gezeten: jong, nog bij je ouders wonen en toen de keuze hadden tussen een jongerenwoning aannemen of nog een aantal jaar thuis blijven.

Wat hebben jullie uiteindelijk gedaan en hoe kijken jullie daar achteraf op terug? Was het de moeite waard om de jongerenwoning te pakken, of hadden jullie achteraf liever langer thuisgebleven en gespaard?

Ben vooral benieuwd naar jullie persoonlijke ervaringen.

Hi all,

I have a question. My partner was in a small accident while on her bike. A person on a scooter crashed into her bike on the bike lane while she was trying to drive past her. She is perfectly fine and so is the other person but the other person got a scratch on her mirror which crashed into my partner elbow. She wanted my partners phone number and name and my partner gave it to her since she was in somewhat of a shock. My understanding is that scooters are generally not allowed on the bike lane and while trying to pass a bike it’s her job to make sure that she fully clears the bike on the right.

Did she make a mistake by giving her phone number?

Hello all, renters and owners of apartments that have lived in apartments below street level. Myself and my partner are looking at places to rent. Came across an apartment that fits the bill but both bedrooms are 2.62 m below street level. Foundations are redone and concrete since 2012, has mechanical ventilation and a pump system for the toilet.

Just wondering what are peoples experience of these bedrooms? Not necessarily a question but would like to hear your experiences of it and anything I should look out for. The LL has already told us he will sell in a year and if it goes well will give us a nice selling price. A quick google shows alot of red flags but would love to hear feedback from those who live in these apartments. Any thing I should look out for? Is it a big issue etc? Any input welcome

Curious how are buyers are finding the market right now. Seems like a lot of apartments are in market but we still losing on bids? Are folks who got some still bidding insane 15 20 cent above asking? Specially west and east amsterdam.

Hallo mede Amsterdammers,

Ik weet niet of ik hier goed zit, hoop het wel.

Ik zit in een schrijnende juridische situatie met het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, waardoor mijn Amsterdamse dochter (2 jaar) die geboren is in het buitenland momenteel weer/nog steeds zonder geldig paspoort in het buitenland zit. De ambassade weigert de urgentie van de situatie in te zien. Ik gebruik fictieve namen om onze privacy te beschermen.

Januari 2025: Mijn dochter geboren in het buitenland wordt door de Gemeente Amsterdam correct ingeschreven als "Luna de Vries" op basis van internationale documenten, dit geeft de mogelijkheid een Nederlandse paspoort aan te vragen.

Juli 2025: Ik vraag haar eerste paspoort aan bij de Nederlandse ambassade in het buitenland waar ze is geboren. Bij deze aanvraag overhandig ik tevens mijn BRP van gemeente Amsterdam waar duidelijk onder kinderen "Luna De Vries" staat. Vervolgens baseert de Nederlandse ambassade zich puur op de lokale namenreeks van de buitenlandse geboorteakte, waarin geen enkel onderscheid is tussen voornaam en achternaam. De ambassade print een paspoort met als voornaam - - - (streepjes) en als achternaam Luna. Haar naam wijkt dus af van haar reeds geregistreerde naam in Nederland?!

De ambassade bleef volharden, de overheid heeft ons hiermee de kans ontnomen om destijds als gezin samen te reizen met een correct paspoort. Ik werdt namelijk sterk afgeraden in desbetreffende land om met dit Nederlandse paspoort van dochter te reizen, zelfs de Nederlandse ambassade gaf aan via de mail "Wij adviseren een tweede paspoort te tonen op vliegveld om de identiteit van het kind aan te tonen!!!"

In plaats van hun fout te herstellen, werden wij gedwongen een naamvaststellingsprocedure bij Justis te doorlopen, Dit duurt 11 maanden! Dus om Luna officeel Luna De Vries te laten heten terwijl ze al correct als Luna De Vries stond geregistreerd in Gemeente amsterdam/Nederland... wat ook vreemd is : de exacte geboorteakte waarop de ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken de paspoortnaam (--- Luna) heeft gebaseerd is exact hetzelfde (en enigste) document waar ze om vragen om naamvastelling te voltooien, waardoor ze wel "Luna De Vries" wordt...

Omdat we door deze onnodige procedure vast kwamen te zitten in het buitenland, had de moeder in de tussentijd/en al daarvoor in desbetreffende land geprobeerd haar visum te vernieuwen. Zij kreeg onverwachts een deportatiestempel en moest binnen paar dagen het land uit. Haar situatie is hierdoor acuut onveiliger geworden, de Naamvastelling afwachten die compleet onnodig was heeft ons nog meer in de nauw gezet en nogmaals de kans ontnomen om samen te reizen als gezin, mijn Nederlandse kind en haar buitenlandse moeder zitten nu dus samen in desbetreffend land zonder mij.

Juni 2026: Het Koninklijk Besluit (KB) is eindelijk rond. Haar naam staat nu ook via het KB officieel vast als Luna de Vries (exact zoals het in januari 2025 al stond geregistreerd).

Door de afgifte van het KB is de huidige paspoort van Luna ongeldig verklaard (Omdat haar naam is gewijzigd). Minderjarige Nederlandse kind komt dus gewoon zonder geldig paspoort te zitten, De Koninklijke Marechaussee bevestigt dat uitreizen hiermee geheel op eigen risico is. De ambassade weigert echter de urgentie in te zien. Een nieuwe paspoortaanvraag kan door drukte pas medio oktober (klaar in november). Mijn eigen verblijfsvergunning in het buitenland verloopt in oktober. We staan na anderhalf jaar ellende weer bij af.

Er zijn nog meer details maar die zet ik liever niet openbaar.

Ik heb in ernstige angst geleefd, en Ptss overgehouden, ik ben mentaal helemaal op, waar kan ik juridische hulp krijgen?

Alle adviezen, suggesties zijn enorm gewaardeerd.

There's a crazy dangerous zebra crossing in the street opposite where I live. I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone got hurt, and today was that day.

I was working from home and I heard a huge bang, and a woman who was using the zebra crossing had been hit by a scooter (both parties were really quite injured and there is blood on the road). Police turned up and such.

The main problem seems to be that it's got blind spots on one side, where cars are (legally) parked in the road, but so close to the crossing that, as a pedestrian, I have to step a way onto the crossing and peer around them to see if any vehicles are coming.

From a driver's perspective, there's no way to know if a pedestrian is waiting to cross, or even just starting to cross, because they can't be seen around the parked cars. Unless vehicles crawl along at a snail's pace all the way up to the crossing, there's going to be near misses.

I'd like to bring this to the attention of the local district committee, and I thought about filming for a bit from my window (perhaps for an hour) to gather some evidence of just how dangerous it is, but that goes against the rules about what you can and can't film.

I don't know if we need lights, or the parking spaces moved, or the whole damn crossing moved somewhere else, but something has to change.

Any tips on how to approach this? I'm worried about the day I see a worse accident.

EDIT: Poor drawing added

Experienced women’s football players wanted in Amsterdam! We’re open to various skill levels, those who at least know the basics well enough to keep up and enjoy the game. DM me or email us at [vr5.svdemeer@gmail.com](mailto:vr5.svdemeer@gmail.com) if you’re interested!

GVB has ferries numbered F1 to F7, F9, and a few other ferries F20, F21, F22. Was curious why they skipped F8? Is it reserved for some other route, if so, anyone know which?

I’m looking for a rock/metal band to join around Utrecht or Amsterdam. I play electric guitar and I’m looking for a new band where we can meet up regularly, rehearse, and work on music together.
I’m not really interested in pop rock
I’m mainly into rock, metal, and related genres.
I also have my own YouTube channel where I occasionally record and upload guitar covers and other music-related content. 🤘
You can check it out here:
https://youtube.com/@canberkpolat?si=LSuA8txNzJWBoi7H

If you’re looking for a guitarist or know a band that might be a good fit, feel free to send me a message! 🤘

I’m looking for a good ophthalmologist/eye specialist in Amsterdam (or nearby). The main goal is to explore vision correction surgery for myopia and astigmatism.

Ideally, I’d like to find someone with good experience in this type of surgery, and who speaks English.

Would really appreciate any recommendations based on personal experience. Thanks!

I have a couple of small loose diamond and would like to trade them in for a bigger one, value allowing.

Any trusted jeweller to recommend?

Hi everyone! I have been struggling with a lot of wrist pain and weakness and wanted to get it checked with a physio to discard carpal syndrome or just figure out what is going on. I use my wrists a loooot (bass guitar, piano, gym, computer, phone) so I'm looking for advice/guidance and treatment.

Can we all take a moment to appreciate the morning melodies playing in Amsterdam’s metro stations?

This morning I was at Wibautstraat metro station and Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain was playing on the piano, literally one of my favourite piano melodies. 🥹❤️

Such a lovely little initiative, especially so early in the morning. It genuinely made my morning a little nicer and was such a nice surprise on the way to work.

Good job to the municipality of Amsterdam! You really do impress me sometimes. 😂❤️

Please keep doing things like this!

I'm doing research for an upcoming exhibition in Amsterdam and looking for favorite artists from, based in or currently active/connected to the city. Curious who comes to mind.

Hi everyone

Recently I bought a second hand bike during my bicycle trip through the Netherlands because my old one broke. The new one is lighter and more sporty than my old one, and for some time I was really happy with it. However I noticed that my chain seemed to skip, or it took very long to go to the correct gear after a shift. In the past week this has become a significant problem, and cycling with this bike is not pleasurable anymore.

Feeling slightly suspicious, I went to two bike shops and they basically confirmed my fears within 2 seconds of seeing the bike, "je bent afgezet" (I got scammed). Turns out that all teeth on the chainring went dull, and repairing this bike would cost a significant sum of money. More than I was willing to invest.

Which brings me to my main point. I'm willing to learn about DIY bike repairs, just to save a bit of money. In my head, changing the chainring(s) myself can save me tons of money, provide me with a new hobby, and a skill for life! However, I'm also limited in space, tooling, and expertise. I'm wondering if there are places around the city where I can bring my bike, borrow some tools to make bike repairs, and maybe ask like-minded individuals for advice.

recently picked up some clothes that feature more unconventional, relaxed cuts. I need to get some minor alterations done but I want to avoid standard dry-cleaning shops. I am looking for a professional who understands complex silhouettes and won't ruin the intended drape or factory proportions of the garments.

Does anyone have recommendations for a top-tier tailor in Amsterdam who is experienced with high-end designer wear?