The Quote from the British link:" The most annoying bugbear for commuters is when fellow passengers have their music on too loud, with 26 per cent of those surveyed saying that, closely followed by 21 per cent who can't stand people smelling badly."

I didn't say it the link did. And I have visited some of the cities mentioned. Seems about right to me.

The Netherlands, already a small and crowded country, is filling up fast. One British expat in Amsterdam explains the lessons she's learnt since joining the jostling commuters there...


,,while Amsterdam may have a smaller population, there is less space per person, and people speak a different language to the British when it comes to personal space...


Economy is the name of the game out here; people move as quickly, linger as little and travel as efficiently as possible. This is prompted by the breathtakingly restrictive streets favoured by Dutch town planners. Rather than strolling along hand in hand, couples instead choose to hop on the same bike. Now taking up less space than they would on the pavement, they can drift along at a more relaxed pace than if they walked.



If you don't have a bike and decide to take the tram, then don't expect to be offered a seat. In fact; expect every single person on the tram to prioritise their shopping bags over your comfort. This isn’t rudeness, it’s just that when you live crushed together you get very good at recruiting personal space...


Outside on the streets you can expect to get nowhere fast but at least you’ll receive fewer glares than on a bustling British high street... In the UK, I used to engage in at least one argument with a stranger per week – usually prompted by one of us accidentally stepping on the other – but I've ditched the habit since moving to Amsterdam...


I’m inclined to think that living cheek to cheek with hundreds of thousands of Dutch strangers is preparing me far better for England’s future than three years living in London did.