Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Illegal activity No. 1

I have now broken the law in the Netherlands -- the first time in five years (that I'm aware of). What heinous crime did I commit? No, not letting off fireworks outside the permitted time of 10 p.m. New Year's Eve to 2 a.m. New Year's Day -- one of the most common crimes in the Netherlands -- but riding a bike without lights fixed to the bike. I had a rear light attached to my bike, but my front light was clipped to my jacket, and I discovered last night while waiting for pizza that this is no longer allowed. The ministry of piddling little bylaws -- sorry, traffic -- has just announced this change.

Fortunately for me, the Amsterdam fuzz don't seem willing to start fining people ... yet. This could have something to do with the fact that many of their own officers clip lights to their bags or jackets. Or it could just be a question of time.

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