In central Amsterdam there is a strange grid of one-way streets based on the canal system- Specifically these are the grachts which are streets on both sides of a canal. So you can be going one direction on Keizersgracht, or going in the opposite direction on the other side of the canal which is also Keizersgracht. If you are a hapless tourist in a rental car, you will suddenly be going the wrong way on the wrong side of the canal. I have seen this happen many times already.
And lets not forget about the bicycles which vastly outnumber cars. They 'sort of' go the same direction as the cars, but they are always in motion and don't slow down much, and may strike off in any direction at any moment. More on bicycles later.
Did I mention that these one-way streets are very narrow, you can't pass anybody, and nobody slows down- cars, bicycles, scooters (did I mention scooters?)- until this happens:
A big truck needs to unload something. There is no place to pull over, no delivery spaces, so the truck just stops in the street and calmly and methodically unloads its cargo.
So the cars just sit there (including the hapless tourist who got lucky and is going the right way) while the bicycles just stream on by.
This happens all the time and Amsterdamers seem to be used to it. I talked to a lady sitting in a nice Audi and told her that if this was New York City, people would be going for their weapons. She just smiled- crazy Americans!
You can't do that in America!
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