I Got Caught by Dutch Police for THIS (True Story)

As A Japanese man from USA, I understand I think many Dutch even non-White Dutch can be racist at Asians, I been to Amsterdam a few times and I even got detained for hanging out at the airport. I am going to be in Amsterdam next month. I would like to meet you.

Sorry that it happened. I can understand that they make it illegal, but a warning should have been enough. Often insecure people in power like to do "power plays" to show how powerful they are, mainly to satisfy their egos.

You are an amazing man and I'm not sure if I would've been as gracious as you. Keep it up, Wes.

Gotta say it sounds to me like the guy just wanted to meet his quota, or just decided to pick you out of the crowd. Not saying the rules aren't there for a reason, but yeah.

So sorry man, I'm dutch and do it almost every day, but I live somewhere where I almost never see police. I looked it up and it is forbidden since 2019. And they can give you a ticket without warning even if it's the first time

Excès de zèle pour ce policier, abusé.

My opinion; scumbag policeman.

First of all
I’m really sorry that this happened to you.
€160,- is crazy!

The Dutch are really inpatient on the bike or in traffic.
I live in Rotterdam, and here are the people also very inpatient.(most of the time)😅😅

If you see locals do it in front of the police, yet you get a ticket, that speaks volumes!

It's the same here in the United Kingdom - cyclists break the rules more often than not, some of it quite dangerous. I have visited Japan often and I was very impressed by the way Japanese people adhere to laws and customs which makes for a more harmonious society. An example of this is when the pedestrian light shows red - I never witnessed a single Japanese cross the road even though there were no cars approaching - they waited until the light was green. I have a little feeling that you were picked on because you are foreign. A Dutch person might have created more of a fuss about the fine. Don't get me wrong I have visited the Netherlands often too and love the country and people. Let's live in peace and harmony.

Steep fine! It was my dream to bike Amsterdam, but after visiting and seeing how stressful bicycle traffic is, well, I’ve change my dreams. 😂

He should have given you a warning.

Agreed, he could have given you a warning. I'm sure I would have gotten the ticket as well btw. But pay attention and be safe please. And don't compare yourself to other people, the stupidities they perform should not be your example. Last year we had a total of 684 people killed in traffic in this country, among them 270 on bikes. And many more (seriously) injured. You can look up the statistics yourself. In the town where I live, people on bikes and in cars for that matter, are not aggressive normally, but there's always the idiots. I have no idea how the situation is in Amsterdam, haven't been there for ages. We dutch in other parts of the country generally don't really feel the need to go to Amsterdam, to be honest. 😎

Ignorance is no defense.

A fine you can be proud of nowadays in the Netherlands because rules and regulations have become crazy.

I am half Japanse half Dutch and I live in south holland
Nice that you also live in the Netherlands I like your vlogs for a few months ❤️

It's mainly just the big cities where it is that extreme with the people on the bikes! As an answer to your question

You're right to feel its unfair when more egregious rules are broken regularly. At least in AMS you've got a critical mass of bikes on the road. In the US or Japan, the daily homicidal assaults by drivers trump any concern about fines or fairness.

Many people break rules, but that doesn't make it ok. It is good the police issues fines, so people respect the rules better. Also always keep to the right as much as possible, so others can pass. And indicate direction. There are lots of unwritten rules when it comes to cycling and cyclists often want to maintain a high speed, which is doable if there were no tourists. With all the tourists it is hard to cycle fast in the center. When I cycle in areas out of the center I can go much faster. We need to educate tourists how to walk and cycle and give space to locals cycling fast. Most tourists cycle so bad, that they should not cycle at all.

You deserved the fine. No warning is needed; this has been advertised widely for years. The reason why the fine is steep is because it's dangerous.

I was born in Amsterdam and I consistently noticed that people who move here (from outside of the A10) seem to think none of the rules count for them, especially if they are on a bike. I applaud literally anything the police does to disabuse them of this notion. Every ticket they write is a reminder that living in Amsterdam doesn't mean you have immunity.

It is just strange how many people seem to have a problem with me masturbating in public.

In any country You live in , the.laws are applied differently. They must have a cycling code that You can read.

I'm starting to feel relieved I don't live in Amsterdam. I feel like I follow the rules better than most here in Riga, but Amsterdam sounds really stressful.
A cycling watch/computer is a good idea anyway though. Although I have to remove it every time I leave my bike outside somewhere, not sure how it is in Amsterdam.

Locals get tickets too, although I do find a bullshit rule it is up to you to know the rules of the country you're in. I know that seems crazy, because how could one know all the rules but it is always expected from a lawful perspective. Sorry it happened man!

serves you right.

I thought you were going to say you were walking with 50 other Asians in a tight group bowling over anyone who came across your path while not looking but videoing everything 😮

De ene politie agent, is de andere niet. Soms willen ze zichzelf bewezen door boetes uittedelen, maar beetje coulant had wat beter kunnen zijn.

driving while brown or driving while black is still a crime in many area. Only they cant call it that

Very aggressive riders. I almost got hit several times

Make a video of unsuspecting tourists getting arrested and charged in Japan for taking items one floor down instead of paying for it on the same floor they took it. I have read that has happened quite often, when one store runs over several floors

That's why I have smart watch, thanks to this I don't even encounter issues like this

I had been using the phone on the bicycle since the early 90s but since whatsapp people's eyes stayed glued to the screen for hundreds of meters. I never get shouted at in Amsterdam, it's usually the non Dutch that don't get it.

Sadly, ignorance of the law is no defence, nor is the argument that everyone is doing it and getting away with it, so why can’t I? Being on your mobile while cycling is a no-no. Be respectful of the law and other road users and cautious about your own safety and that of others.

They should have warned you and not fined you. Police can be childish at times.

You are about to fly to Japan so it may not be possible to collect from you.

Wes, you are the best! I 100% agree with you about the locals.

OMG you are in my country. :D and yeah the Dutch Police are strict. Sorry about that.

a lot of dutch people in the comments section do not want to admit that the police might have bias towards him because he is asian and non-european looking.

You see people breaking those rules everyday for the simple reason that there are so many rules no one remembers them all!!! 🙈

As a Dutch person, I agree with your thoughts on the agressiveness of people on bikes, which in my opinion has gotten worse over the years, just as the ignoring of basic rules, like indication direction with your hand before turning. But I'm pretty sure this is the case for driving as well in lots of countries. People have no patience or respect anymore, individualism is changing things in a bad way. The law of no phone in hand while biking went into effect on July 1, 2019 and for the first while, people were really adhering to it, but as with most things, it became less prominent (just like giving direction, etc.) I got a warning once from police, but I guess it wasn't your lucky day that day