Problems familiar to car drivers the world over, from gridlock to road rage and lack of parking, are now threatening to turn the Dutch dream of bicycling bliss into a daily hell.

In a small country where bicycles outnumber people by 1.2 million, the Dutch have simply run out of space to accommodate the five million riders who take to the road every day, turning major city commuting into a nightmare.

Commuters ride their bikes in late afternoon traffic in Amsterdam. Problems all-too familiar to car drivers the world over are now also threatening to turn the Dutch dream of bicycling bliss into a daily hell. Credit:AFP

In Amsterdam alone 490,000 freewheeling "fietsers" take to the road to cycle a staggering two million kilometres every day, according to statistics released by the city council.

"Bicycles are an integral mode of transport in our city," Amsterdam's council said on Thursday, but, in a worrying trend, "the busiest bicycle paths are too small for the growing stream of daily cyclists."