Afgesloten — "road closed" in downtown Amsterdam

Bicycle courier visits with a friend loading tables and chairs at the close of patio season. October 2007

Canal-side roads in central Amsterdam are often blocked unceremoniously by construction crews, household movers, or just a delivery van.

These roads are concentric, so motorists cannot see that a road is blocked until they become part of the blockage. At four meters wide and bordered by steel posts, there is then no room for maneuvering. One must decide whether or not to go into reverse, if that's still possible.

A business delivery will entail a few minutes' wait for backed-up traffic while the staff unloads goods. The plumber's van may sit shopfront for the afternoon. The crane, set up on stabilizing legs and lifting construction materials to the rooftop, is going to be there for the day at least.

But, amazingly, there is never a "road closed" sign. There is never any indication back at the intersection that the way is blocked.

What happens is that cars enter and stop, and become backed up. If the nature of the obstruction is not obvious, a driver in one of the frontmost cars will get out and ask. If the delay will be great, he or she will signal to the drivers behind - and one or more of them may get out and relay the signal further backward. Eight or ten cars backed up must all reverse and re-enter the cross-street backwards, to go find an alternate route.

And then it starts again....