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Canals were used for transport by boats/ships. My guess would be that railings would be a hindrance for loading/unloading.

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Yeah, and keep in mind most of those houses where merchant houses where trade happened at the time so there probably was a lot of loading and unloading going on everywhere.

Although, given the current-day Dutch attitude to bike helmets I wouldn't be surprised if our ancestors were just being stubborn too, haha.

Most likely the latter. Thousands of bikes, a hundred people, and more than thirty cars fall in to Amsterdam canals each year. "What to do if your car falls in the water" is part of driver's ed.

I mean the last bit is a pretty important skill regardless of safety features, especially in a country like the Netherlands.

When learning kayaking you have to practice a water escape, I wish there was something similar for driver's ed in the Netherlands. Thinking about it is terrifying.

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