‘They’re sticking the finger up at cars’: Amsterdam split by low-traffic roads

Weesperstraat was one of the busiest streets in Amsterdam. Photograph: Judith Jockel/the Observer

In the middle of one of the busiest highways in Amsterdam is a new attraction: marked proudly on the map is the Weesperknip (“Weesper cut”), boxes of flowers, some artificial grass, benches and a blackboard of social events.

Sitting with two colleagues and the remains of lunch, Paul van Oosterom gives it a five-star review. “This street is normally a racetrack,” he says.