Crossing the streets / Traffic, Amsterdam

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There a lot of bicycles and trams in Amsterdam but there are rules so no one rides his bike against traffic.
When you cross the streets watch carefully for bicycles and trams.
The trams when you are close to their line rings so you will know they are close to you.
With bicycles it sometimes much more difficult to hear them.

As mentioned in previous comments, watch your step when crossing tram tracks, either on foot or on 2-wheels. If you hear the bell of a tram, you have a split second to BE out of the way. The last-second warning is a courtesy that tram drivers afford someone they are about to run down (probably so they don't have to stop and fill out a time-consuming incident report).

As far as crossing tram tracks on a bicycle, be sure to watch how you cross. The tracks are in the ground, and are just wide enough to grab a bicycle tire and send the rider flying if they're not paying attention.

There is a lot of traffic in Amsterdam with cars and scooters zipping round corners all the time. But the more dangerous hazard are the bicycles! There are bike lanes everywhere and they are well used. You might think you've got across a street safely but look down, if you're in a bike lane, marked with pinkish red paint/pavement, get out of there quick! The bikers seem to come up on you so quickly and often don't ring their warning bells until they're almost on top of you. Of course you don't hear them coming since there's no engine or motor. You really do have to be careful!

Traffic in Amsterdam is relatively good organized. But ...
** Trams: you don't always hear them coming. They cannot stop quickly, especially not when the street is wet or when there is loaf on the rails. Don't run in front of a tram!
** Trams: the driver can't always see you if you walk very close in front of a tram at a stoppingplace or a traffic light. He might will starts to driving! Don't cross the street between the back of the first tram and the front of the second.
** Trams: in some streets in the centre the tram drives through a shoppingstreet! There is even no difference between the foot-path and the tramroad!
** Tramrails: are slippy! For bicycles and also for cars! Always cross the rails with your wheels, don't drive on the rail!
** Trams: they don't like it when a car blocks the tramrails in front of them. They will drive till they are very, very close to your car, which will make you nervous.
** Taxi's: may drive close besides you.
** Tramroads: are sometimes also used by policecars, ambulances, firecars and taxi's.
** Normal cars (and bicycles) are not allowed to drive on the seperate tramroad, they only may do that if the tramrails are not laying higher than the street.
** Tram stoppingplaces are sometimes at the middle of the street. Don't forget to watch if cars drive by! If you are driving in a car: watch out for passengers, if the tram just stopped at the middle of a street. The traffic-rule is that cars have to stop for passengers getting in or out the tram.
** Walking people and bicycles: most of the times we don't wait for the trafficlight to get green, we just walk if we can cross the street.

I know it's a bit of a cliche but do watch out for cyclists and trams! They're both very fast and come from unexpected directions. Some cyclists are good enough to ring a bell to warn you so you have a bit of time to step aside.

Don't walk on the cycle paths which are clearly marked.

I just spent the weekend in Amsterdam and managed not to get run over but only because I knew to look out for them!

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We had just arrived in Amsterdam. We were walking along a sidewalk, dragging our suitcases. About 3 meters from a crossing we were about to use (no traffic lights there) I was well aware of a tram approaching from one side. So we stopped waiting for it to pass. But to our extreme surprise, the tram stopped too, and the smiling driver gestured for us to cross. We did, waving and smiling back.
That same day, I was walking along one of the canals, admiring the architecture, when suddenly a few bikes swooshed past me at such speed and such close distance that it gave me a fright and I almost lost my balance. I soon realised that I had unconsciously entered the bike line which was running along the pavement. True, my fault, but why hadn't they warned me with a bell or a shout?
Strange ways. A tram will stop to let you pass and a biker will run you over without a second thought.

Crossing the road in Amsterdam is a risky business. Not only do you have the road to contend with, you also have to cross tramlines and cycles lanes so be extra vigilant and keep your eyes and ears fully opened. Also, there is often no 'islands' between the roads, cycle lanes and tramlines offering a safe haven, so it's best to cross as swiftly as possible.

And be warned - the multitudes of cyclists in Amsterdam stop for absolutely nobody, and it is often impossible to determine the cycle lane from the footpath.

This is true all over Amsterdam, but especially around the Old Center, be aware of bikes. It almost seems safe because the traffic is all the way in the middle lanes, but there are many bike riders in Amsterdam, and they approach quickly in the bike lanes. Many times you will hear a "ding, ding" from a bike rider trying to warn you that they are coming. I tried to be very aware of this, but I still found myself almost walking out in front of bikes a few times.