Some 83% of Amsterdammers feel that traffic in their city is becoming more dangerous, an annual survey by European traffic safety organisation Cyclorama has shown.

Amsterdam comes fifth in the list of cities perceived as unsafe for road users, while Athens is thought to be the most dangerous. Some 1200 people from the Netherlands participated in the survey, 300 of whom lived in the capital.

Some 45% of Amsterdammers said they actually felt at risk, compared to 42% last year and just 28% in 2022.

“New urban transport”, such as e-bikes and (souped up) fatbikes, were frequently mentioned as a reason for unsafe traffic situations. Improvements to the city’s infrastructure, such as broader cycle paths and roads were thought to be too slow to catch up with the new developments despite the fact that 56% of the respondents said they felt unsafe on cycle paths.

If cycle paths were widened, 61% of the respondents said they would cycle more often. Helmets remained unpopular, with 44% saying they would not support a legal obligation to wear one.

Traffic chief Melanie van der Horst said the outcome of the survey was worrying. “If it means more people are moving around by car again instead of cycling or walking it is not good a good development.

“We can’t change the infrastructure from one day to the next but we are working on making it safer every day. We are adding more school routes and cycling routes. We are widening cycle paths and tackling unsafe crossroads,” she told the Parool.