In the summer of 1997, I was sitting in the center of Amsterdam enjoying the sunshine on a warm bright afternoon. I saw a man wearing a wooly jumper walk up to a bike rack, pull out a pair of bolt cutters, snip a lock and ride away.

When I passed through Amsterdam for the first time I recall looking at the many bikes at the bike racks and thinking how old fashioned they all looked, I think it is still the same now.