First drive in Amsterdam Rechts houden & 30 km/u
Drive on the right side of the road, and never faster than the sign: 30 km/h on most Amsterdam streets.
RVV 1990 art. 3 (keep right) · sign A1 (speed limit)
Why this rule exists
Keeping right leaves room for oncoming cars and bikes. At 30 km/h you can still stop when a cyclist or a child suddenly appears.
Wist je dat? · Did you know?
- Amsterdam made 30 km/h the normal speed on most of its streets in December 2023.
- There are more bicycles in Amsterdam than people: roughly 880,000 of them.
Test yourself
1You pass a town name sign (start of the built-up area) and see no speed sign. The limit is…
- 30 km/h, the new national default
- 60 km/h
- 40 km/h
- 50 km/h
Show the answer
D: 50 km/h. Art. 20: inside the built-up area 50 km/h applies unless signs say otherwise. 30 only applies where it is signed, as on most Amsterdam streets.
2RVV art. 19 says you must always be able to stop within…
- two seconds of the car ahead
- half the distance you can see ahead
- the distance you can see is clear
- the braking distance for your speed
Show the answer
C: the distance you can see is clear. Art. 19: stop within the distance you can see to be free. "Half the distance" is the UK rule for single-track roads, not the Dutch one.
3Since December 2023, what limit applies on most Amsterdam streets?
- 50 km/h, except near schools
- 30 km/h
- 40 km/h
- 20 km/h
Show the answer
B: 30 km/h. Amsterdam signed most of its streets down to 30 km/h in December 2023; the main through roads stayed at 50.
Kees' tip
Look far down the street, not at the bonnet, and let the car roll slowly: speed comes later.