[784] On-street cycle lanes are not recommended in the Dutch guide books, but they do exist in many forms. They don't all have the same legal status and that can be confusing. More information in the blog post: bicycledutch.w...
I would like to extend a huge thank you to the people of the Netherlands for showing us (the rest of the world) how roads can be designed to avoid killing or injuring vulnerable road users. Here in the UK we are at least 30 years behind you but hopefully one day we will end car dominance. The we can begin to enjoy cleaner, healthier, quieter, safer, happier streets like yours.
Ppl in the Netherlands: we need to improve cycle lanes, from on the street to segregated. ppl in the UK: can we please have a crumb of cycle infrastructure ;-;
I was actually not aware that the narrowing lanes were not cycle lanes, but I don't think I've ever come across one that was too narrow to not essentially be the same as a cycle lane.
Some roads in the countryside will be too narrow. There are some here, narrow roads with trees that have stripes not further than 20 centimeters away from the roadside / occasional tree trunk. Luckily nobody thinks it’s a bike lane.
Those things annoy me to no end. In Germany it has been advised, that narrow streets be converted to this bullshit. No the streets will not be made wider, they will not assign a proper speed limit, they will use psychological tricks to have you drive slower than allowed. It's the same bullshit like no middle divider in villages and not converted small streets. Drivers have no orientation and many drivers in my experience stay as a result way too far left because they can not judge the width of their vehicle to the right.
Here in São Paulo (the biggest city in the south hemisphere) have a population of 12 million and have a combined cycle length of 500 kilometers, and most of it is half assed 2 way cycle lanes that are smaller than the sidewalk which stop out of nowhere and have no connections, and sadly is this is all new infrastructure, and before it there were 0 cyclelanes before the 2000s. I hope that someday we get enough political power to better our roads and communities, making for a better, healthier and safer city.
It always boggles my mind that in cities with a much nicer climate than the Netherlands (such as Sao Paulo , Californian cities etc...) They barely put in effort into cycling infrastructure. If even the super cold and quite rainy Netherlands can make cycling work, then there is no excuse. And cycling infrastructure has almost no running costs once it's installed so it's a great idea for cities to save on money compared to building many more train or bus lines which have high running costs. The health benefits alone of an increase percentage of people cycling would probably save the government money in healthcare costs. So it would probably actually save money for the government to Install more cycling infrastructure.
I think in urban Jakarta, Indonesia live more people than in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Probably around 30 million... And more densily populated than Sao Paulo too.
It always amazes me (as a Brit) how you will never see anyone on a bike wearing a cycle helmet - NO ONE!! .......I just wouldn't dream of getting on a bike in the UK without wearing a cycle helmet - it's become as natural as checking I've got my phone, keys, and wallet with me before setting out. Also, no one's wearing 'cycle specific' clothing. Loads of people in the UK do - for the commute to work, to visit friends who live a few miles away, out on a Sunday ride with mates etc. The cycling cultures in The Netherlands, and the UK are basically polar opposites. There's constant 'tension;' between cyclists and car drivers on UK roads. Alot of drivers are very impatient, and resent being held up by one cyclist let alone a group of them. I've been yelled at, beeped at, sworn at, even had the windscreen 'spray treatment' ( a car once actually used their windscreen sprayers, and the spray came over the back of their car and a soaked me). I caught up with the car at some traffic lights, and the driver wound down his window and yelled a tirade of expletives before screeching off when the lights changed - he'd actually cut me up about 10 minutes earlier by pulling out in front of me suddenly, and at speed. This is what it's like to be a cyclist in the UK - no respect, or at least little respect from car drivers, buses, taxis, vans, and yes motorcyclists too. The Dutch, and the Brits are VERY different in terms of their attitudes towards cyclists. Cycling in the Netherlands always looks really relaxing. In the UK you have to be alert, and 'switched on' all the time because there are just too many bad drivers (like the one above), or crazy 'white van man ' maniacs on the roads. I wouldn't even consider wearing earbuds to listen to music, when cycling - it's too risky. You need to be able to hear what's going on around you, otherwise you're making things even worse for yourself - and giving ammunition to car drivers who would only call you a 'dippy cyclist who wasn't paying enough attention'.
Most people who drive cars in The Netherlands also cycle, thats helps. Also when the roads are designed to handle cyclists, you dont get in eachothers way that often. As a cyclist you also have the responsibility to leave room when necessary, and not ride 2 wide when there's no room, and never 3 wide, unless you are a rascal ;) Helmets shouldnt be more necessary on a bike then when you are walking on the sidewalk when your infrastructure is properly set up. Unless you are racing, or maybe a senior on an e-bike.
@@yousnoerd What I love is the way they think about ALL road users in The Netherlands - not just car/van drivers. Cyclists are all too often considered an 'afterthought' when roads are planned or junctions re-designed. We still have loads of cycle lanes that are basically just the edge of a road with a thin strip of white paint separating you on your bike from a huge articulated lorry. This will shock any Dutch person, but it's more widespread in the UK than having properly separated bike lanes (with curbs between them and cars).
Oh, and I bet there are no parked cars in cycle lanes in The Netherlands.......thereby forcing you out into the middle of the road so as to pass them. This is so common in the UK that the Police don't even bother anymore. In fact I've seen a Police van parked in a cycle lane before - no one in the vehicle, and engine off.
@@robtyman4281 I think it's a matter of steady progress, you cant change behaviour and policy in a couple of years. The Netherlands is just perfect for cycling and therefore we have been cycling for so long it's second nature. Maybe in time things will change in Britain. p.s. Police can be c*nts here as well ;)
Don't forget: cycling is the most common means of transport in the Netherlands, and always has been. The bike lanes did not come by themselves, however; at some point in time, the number of fatal accidents between cars and bikes was on the rise, and a movement started to make biking safer. We did have bicycle lanes before, but they were not always connected, and not so well maintained. That movement forced the authorities to take action, like creating more bike lanes, make roads safer for cyclists, and have big lorry's equipped with special side mirrors for their 'dead angles', and such. And the law was changed, so that drivers would by default always be guilty, in case of accidents. It made a big difference in the number of accidents.
Heck In my neck of the woods "cycle lanes" ("Class II bike lanes" we call these in California) are still top end brand new infra for us typically. Also this RU-vid channel is my direct inspiration to make content like this for my city in California!
Quite good translation of the rules. Only 1 remark is that with a dashed bicycle lane you do not have to ride in the bicycle lane (a lot of people think that's the case). You are allowed to pass someone outside the bicycle lane or ride next to someone. With the full line you are not allowed to cross the line and you need to act like it is a separated lane/road.
Thanks for mentioning this. I was searching the comments to see if anyone else had the same question I had about passing as a cyclist on streets with bicycle lanes. Do you know if cyclists have voorrang when crossing a dashed lane to pass when a car is behind them?
And in the UK on-street cycle lanes are considered "adequate" on a road with a speed limit of 40mph (~65kpm)! Of course, the cycle lanes disappear completely at roundabouts and where an additional car lane is _needed_ for a turning lane.
That's probably best translated as a bicycle advisory lane, but this could be a difference between British English and American English, where I wouldn't be too surprised if the latter is used by American English speakers.
Where i live there's also no bike lanes, it's all downhill and uphill but there are two types of cyclist to the average driver. There's the kid with a bike that's going to do something crazy, and there's the proper cyclist with lights, helmet and who looks like a pro. If you look like a pro you're fine, they'll give you plenty of space and even encourage you :) If you're the kid with a bike, no helmet, no lights, jeans etc you're screwed.
Please, make next video about bypasses of bus/tram stops with few different examples. In dense areas and at outskirts of the city; solutions for bike lanes and bike paths. Thanks!
Question, the video mentions two advised methods of cycle paths for the two speed boundaries; under 30km/h and over 50 km/h. What are the cycle path advised methods for roads in between these speeds such as 40km/h? Or do roads with these speeds not exist?
I like that most places have a standard cycle width. One place in greater London, UK, there's a separate cycle lane is less than one metre and it's expected that bikes can go both ways. That means you end up daring the one coming in the opposite way to find out which of us will yield and swerve over on to the pedestrian path. Later one you find the cycle path disappears and this is a busy major road with cars going at high speeds. You are expected to switch to the road and later the bus lane with buses dodging in and out all the time.
I love your videos, they are so informative. But now I'm confused, I thought you said in an earlier video that cycle lanes were always red but now you're saying and showing that's not always the case? Is this just with older roads that have not been updated to the red standard? Or is there another reason some cycle lanes are not red?
Cycle lanes do not have to be red by law. It is the painted bicycle on the road that indicates that it is a bicycle lane. But the design rules for new roads advise them to be red. As that makes the situation more clear. In situations where there is no confusion, like a long straight rural road, the cycle lanes are often the same material as the the road because this is cheaper.
Unfortunately, there are many assholes these days and with law enforcement at an all time low, this is the consequence. I once had police turn up (after I made a call to them) when a car (yes, a car) on a cycle path had overtaken me and as there was a gravelpath next to the cyclepath, also sprayed me with gravel as they accelerated once they had passed me. As the driver got seriously aggressive when I tried to talk to him, called the police. The driver was just using the cycle path to get to a place to let his dogs quicker and as I apparently had ruined his (and hers, his wife, or whatever it was, was with him) day, they quickly packed up shop and wanted to return the way they had come, when the police showed up. The officer in question asked me why they were driving in the direction they were driving and I just couldn't help but look at him like 'are you an idiot?' and said 'signs don't stop people!' It's bollards and such that one will need to keep the 'aso's' away from placing where they have nothing to find. Same as in my city: from a street that turns left, the through direction is a cycle path. In the past, there used to be metal poles to keep cars out. But the city considers them dangerous and removed them. Well, what a surprise, since then, it's 'schering en inslag' (it happens a lot) that cars and vans use the cycle path, turn right at the swimming pool and then drive onto the car parking to drive up to the normal road again: this saves the drivers four junctions with lights but I absolute detest such drivers and I usually block such drivers from advancing. This is The Netherlands and we've got it all figured out for every road user and if you have trouble admiring what you have, I will gladly make your journey just as long as it would have taken when you would have stuck to the normal roads, waiting at all those lights.
My hometown has installed a lot of advisory cycle lanes on 2 rural roads and my neighborhood's main road, cars just drive through them because otherwise the road is too narrow, but cylists do usually stay within them, but even without them, I don't think cyclists will go much further onto the road than they already do, they are basically useless, as I don't think it really encourages lower speeds
0:50 " _Cycle lanes with solid lines may never be used by motor vehicles_ " seems to be factually wrong, as small motorcycles are (lately) allowed to drive on cycle lanes, am I wrong?
I was just going to ask you for a video about this topic! My city is not going to put money into retrofitting existing streets but on-street cycle lanes are in the realm of the possible. Is there any parking in the 50 kph roads?
Federico Marín usually not. On the roads that have a 50 km/h speed limit you will usually see parking bays. You might find cars parked at 50 km/h roads in some of the more rural areas, but it’s not a common thing in most cities.
Suggestion cycle lanes often come off more to psychologically keep the cyclists at the side of the road then keeping cars in the middle. And it works! Unless you come across a group of sport cyclists, those don't follow rules anyway :^)
In Brussels they dont even draw the lines on most of those counter-flow streets. Because it is in fact assumed that bikes ride in both directions on any street. 80% of the time you can see a single bicycle painted on the road and 30% will have dotted lines at least towards intersections and tighter sections.
Great ideas, in the UK we exist in essentially a feud between cyclists and drivers as we have no real separation of road an cycle lane so cyclists are slowing traffic which irritates drivers or drivers are overtaking cyclist so close you almost knock them off which makes bad blood there. Also our cycle infrastructure is so bad people usually either drive or cycle depending on their circumstances rather than length of journey or weather which further separates the groups as a motorist does not understand a cyclists point of view and visa versa. I also believe cyclists should have a safety standard to use the road or cycle lanes however, a registration plate and adequate lighting should be essential. We often have incidents where cyclist are not seen due to poor or no lights or have lights that blind people as there are no regulations with beam pattern ect like a car and many incidents where cyclists cause damage and run without any real means of identification.
When I lived in the Netherlands I once biked in a ROAD because I saw this "sugestion lanes" in thought it was okay. Lucky for me some kind people stoped their car to warn me, but unluckly for me I was half way to any exit, ended up riding on grass for a long time.
it hapened exately on this point,if you are curious. I was going from Zwole to Raalte. www.google.com.br/maps/place/52%C2%B023'43.7%22N+6%C2%B016'33.2%22E/@52.3946862,6.277072,3a,75y,55.83h,69.15t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-Ezt5eCdv_lStfkmdDSpDg!2e0!3e11!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fmaps%2Fphotothumb%2Ffd%2Fv1%3Fbpb%3DChEKD3NlYXJjaC5nd3MtcHJvZBIgChIJdapyCNnlx0cRI5VLVibg57YqCg0AAAAAFQAAAAAaBAhWEFY%26gl%3DBR!7i16384!8i8192!4m23!1m16!4m15!1m6!1m2!1s0x47c7e5de15dd13cd:0x43cc43b1c2bd5943!2sRaalte,+Pa%C3%ADses+Baixos!2m2!1d6.2862366!2d52.3798566!1m6!1m2!1s0x47c7df209d12ecb1:0xcd0b5b2492dd3e8c!2sZwolle,+Pa%C3%ADses+Baixos!2m2!1d6.0830219!2d52.5167747!3e1!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d52.3954818!4d6.2758762
While cycling lanes on 50 km/h roads are not ideal, there are still some cycle lanes left on old 80 km/h roads, like the N831 north of the village Velddriel NL
I would be interested to hear more of your opinions on contraflow (counterflow) lanes in future videos. Toronto has many and I have mixed feelings on their effectiveness.
Many of the streets you call fietssuggestiestroken in the last part of the video are not fietssuggestiestroken. They are erftoegangswegen, a standardized type of rural road with dashed sidelines to visibly narrow the street, they can be accompanied by a seperate bike path and have a max speed of 60km/h.
The fietssuggestiestrook can be on an erftoegangsweg. The strook refers to small part on the side of the road in a different color or material. And as heard in the video, they don't do a lot for cyclists, unlike its name suggests. They are just there to visually narrow the road and reduce the speed of motor traffic. The erftoegangsweg refers to the entire road.
@2:35 people are advised (as opposed to not advised) but not required to use them... advisory lane is a mistranslation, is a suggestion lane, with the suggestion being, thats the side/space suggested to use, do as you please but heres our thought out suggestion, its often used on dikes also so as a car driver you dont accidentally drive into the often soft grassy sides aside from narrowing the road an sich
Hahaha... We will never be able catch up to the Netherlands when it comes to cycling XD But, you know, a man can dream... At least going on foot seems to be embraced in this country as basically something everyone does from birth, but it will be years or even decades before cycling is normalised. A shame I would say, since most cities were built around people and carriages so bicycles belong a lot more than freaking ugly motorised cars do.
While being not as good as other cycle infraestructure in the Netherlands, there is something importart you didn't mention: Cycle culture and respect. These on-street cycle lanes would be a revolution in Galicia, northwest Spain, where I'm living.
There are scooters constantly on bike lanes in Amsterdam. Some can be used but most of the time the rules aren't followed. Also, you have electric bikes now. They're fast and people don't slow down.
I think the ‘suggestion’ is more about the visual trickery. It’s more ‘suggestief’ (Dutch word that can also mean manipulative or influential) as it makes the brain feel the road is too narrow to drive at higher speed.
Here in Germany, on-street cycle lanes are considered as the golden standard of cycle "infrastructure" (many people say "paint alone is no infrastructure" and I think that's right.) It's interesting to see that they also exist in The Netherlands - but are actually seen as bad design. How does it look like when such on-street cycle lanes meet an intersection equipped with traffic lights: Are there separate lights for cyclists? Are there "bike boxes" that allow cyclists to position themselves in front of cars while waiting for the green light? (This is very common in Germany and in many other countries.) And what if an on-street cycle lane meets a roundabout: Are there separate cycle lanes inside the roundabout or do cyclists have to merge with the motorized traffic? Finally, do people in The Netherlands tend to avoid these on-street cycle lanes (by using a different route instead)? My guess is that especially for young cyclists, this is quite risky and not very attractive.
@@schout33 Right, and this means it requires way less maintenance (no repainting) which is good. But apart from this, the concept of these on-street cycle lanes is the same as here in Germany and probably in many other countries.
So if there's a dangerous obstruction or condition in the bike lane, cyclists are still required to use them? For example you pass two cars parked so the door zone occupies the entire bike lane, but you're still required by law to endanger yourself by riding in the door zone? Seems backwards.
In Germany, they almost switched entirely to on-street cycle lanes within towns. They have clear advantages: - they are cheap - they are better maintained, because you just have to maintain the street and not also a bike path - you can add a space for cyclists where there wouldn't have been space for a real cycle path - as a cyclist you can pass other cyclist while the cycle lane doesn't has to very wide But now they realize that cycle lanes don't always make sense. They disencourage cycling for unexperienced people, they can be invated by motor traffic and it feels generally more stressful to ride on them. And dooring is a problem with these lanes. I hope that on busy main streets they will instead build proper cycle paths with a good width or protected bikelanes like in the US.
Just implement the Nordrhein-Westfalen bike policy federally. Their bike infrastructure is substandard for the Dutch, but for Germany they have a pretty okay bike policy.
@@hendrikdependrik1891 actually I really don't liked biking in Cologne, those cycle paths are way too narrow, I think Berlin is better bikable (but not very good too)
Simon Kraemer link me up brother.. in from the Dutch village of Oisterwijk which was completely rebuild after WWII under American funding named the ‘Marshall Plan’ after US Secretary of State George Catlett Marshall Jr.. and as far as I can tell my mayor-council government (so city-bound, local government) was the first in the world to include bikes in general infrastructure dating as far back as 1948. One of the first protected bike lanes runs right through my neigborhood. Also I’ve had residence at Inwood, Manhattan for 7 months in 2011 and there’s no such thing on the island you could call protected bike lanes comparing to my hone country. In fact, America was one of the worst places for me to jump on a bicycle I’ve ever experienced. Granted I haven’t visited Asian megacities so I can’t compare to much outside Europe and North-America but basically nothing in the world compares to hone.
Hey, do you know what is the penalty in the Netherlands for drivers who park their car illegally in a cycle lane? Thanks for another very informative video.
@Roosje Keizer Thanks. It is €40 in Ireland but police don't pay much attention to it unfortunately. Do they take it seriously in Netherlands? I suppose there is much more respect for cyclists there.
@@sammccormack3532 It doesn't happen much I think. And people here cycle soooo much and the rest of the road is so safe that it doesn't really matter if they do. If you have to go on the pavement or a carlane to get around something, so be it, no need to even think about it. Most other road users won't bother you, they can see the obstacle you're avoiding as well.
@1:40 there are in fact 2 signs for cycle lanes/paths the one applicable for cycles and snorfietsen would be your channel logo but in blue, the other one is a rectangular sign with the word fietspad on it (only for cycles not snorfietsen) ... commonly they only place a sign at the beginning of a main cycle route or intersection and often not at all, but there are signs
But these signs are not used for on-street cycle lanes. There is no sign when the cycle lane is only paint on the road. Other countries have such signs.
@@BicycleDutch on street cycle lane is not counted as cycle lane in that sense , the road then is mixed used and designated per standard to be cars and cyclist regardless if there is or isnt a on road cycle lane.. but even then, sometimes there is (exceedingly rare)
Its not forbidden to park on a fietssuggestiestrook. The strippes mean nothing nor does the white bike on it. They could also have been childs drawings. But as said, you are not allowed to park in a bicycle path ( roadsign and continuing white lining).
So if I interpret this correctly, the on-street cycle lanes are basically a way to circumvent the advice to seperate bicycles and motor vehicles on >50 km/h roads? I guess this is some way understandable, as it would be quite a logistical/financial challenge to seperate bicycles/motor vehicles on /every/ road outside cities and villages.
@@Quintinohthree Where possible ofcourse, I can think of a few small roads that do get quite a bit of traffic right now (including large agricultural contraptions) while being surrounded by a ditch (sloot) on both sides that just don't have the available space. I wouldn't be surprised if it's left as is, gets a 60 km/h zone slapped on it to encourage cars to take an alternate route. Maybe some places with connections to N roads will be blocked off. That'd get rid of the car traffic which uses it as a shortcut now.
No, it's generally understood that motorists stay in their lane, but there is no requirement or expectation to keep distance. It does certainly help that there is mutual respect here. It's not like we have roads with space to keep distance anyway, that would only encourage higher speeds.
If you took driving lessons with a good driving school you will definitely be taught to pass cyclists with significant room to spare. You want margins for error to such an extent that if a cyclist suddenly pulls a stupid stunt (like turning left without even looking), you've got a bit more time to do something about it. And following a cyclist too close while waiting for a chance to pass will definitely have your instructor at some point braking gently or (afterwards) explain that you were following cyclists too close. Hell, I don't know if you can fail your exam for it (but I wouldn't be surprised if you can), but I've had it happen during a lesson that I turned the key to ignition right as a cyclist was passing, with my instructor immediately turning the key back and taking it out of the contact: 'Don't ever do that again! I feel that you show no regard for the sake of the cyclist who just passed you if you just start the car like that. You did not look and take him into account. What do you think the cyclist will think? Do you think he will feel safe or will he be asking himself the question what stunt you will be pulling next, like, pulling out of the parking bay directly after you started the car when you do that?' You will definitely be pulled over if police see you tailgating a cyclist or perform a close pass at speed when there really is no need for a close pass at speed.
Omg all these streets are leading up to my home, I'm watching this at the end of the street that you see on 0:51 Greetings from den bosch we hope you like it here 🤗
It may surprise you, but it rarely happens. If it does, the driver is always at fault. And most cyclists are very aware of drivers in parked cars, so they would sound their bell, when they are near to pass that car. I've been in such situations twice in my life, and I either managed to brake in time, or I swerved around it. Was a terrific opportunity to try out some four letter words, though.
A good idea for sure. I'm assuming because most people that drive cars here do also cycle or have cycled so know that they have to watch out when opening their door. If it people were hit constantly I'm sure they would've stopped making them. Probably a something to keep in mind when designing a bit of infra in really any other country though.
@@woutervanr its actually because people are thaught to open the door with their right arm instead of their left arm (the arm that is furthest away from the door.) This rotates your body and forces you too look at the window/mirror. In addition you will fail for your drivers licence if you dont open the door correctly.
In Belgium we call these on-street cycle lanes a "moordstrookje". That's "murder lane" in English. It's called that way because of the many deadly accidents that happend on these lanes over the passed few years in Belgium.
In Odessa I was almost hit by a car...on the side walk. And he was honking at me for not stepping aside quick enough! Seemed pretty normal, so a lot of СтопХам-like scenes over there as well. I really liked the city, but the amount of traffic and the behaviour of drivers were a BIG minus
@@rolandboerhof9391 Such kind of problem is everywhere in Ukraine, unfortunately, because a lot of car drivers are exceed speed. Not everyone but many of them.
The street in front of my house has suggestion lanes. This is normally used on streets where the maximum speed is 60 km/h. However, the street I live in is in a max. 30 km/h zone. Obviously they all drive too fast.
Just crashed here in Munich on a narrow cycle lane and bad lighting because I drove too close to the pedestrian part which - just in that short spot - is 5cm above the cycle path. 😓
@@AdderFTW888 While it was totally my fault (I was too fast, it was already past 22:00 and dark), the Netherlands still seem to care more as Mark RTed recently: twitter.com/antonnikitin_/status/1291118970578198528 At the location of my crash here in Munich, the height difference was around 8cm which is way beyond the normal height difference to be found in my town. And the cycle path itself is way too narrow to overtake slower riders. I hope my knee wound heals with no lasting harm.
www.verkeersmaatregelen.nl/Info/Verkeerswetgeving/Belgischewetgeving.aspx Belgian law, no law in the Netherlands. (in Dutch) www.adfc-bremen.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/PEDAL/ADFC_HB_2-17_pedal_web2.pdf several pages about the German origin of the Fahrradstraße, as a means to copy streets of Amsterdam. (in German)
My biggest gripe with these cycle lanes is that although the law clearly states stopping on or next to them is not allowed that is rarely if ever enforced. I think mostly because many think stopping for loading or unloading is an exception, while it isn't.
Oof I went on holiday to Ransdorp just outside of Amsterdam and there were these suggestion lanes all the way up to it- but every cyclist that went up and down it (including groups of cyclists) went in the lanes so I assumed they were actual lanes
Perhaps the authors of these lanes have never cycled on Rosengracht or Harlemmerweg in Amsterdam, where the lanes are routinely occupied by parked vehicles or totally removed for far-off road construction.
The Haarlemmerweg has no cycle lanes but separated bicycle paths along its complete length. Parts of this path where indeed closed the past years while the road recieved a major overhaul. But signed detours where provided.
I haven't been cycling when I was in the Netherlands during the last 25 years. Now I'm surprised about the frequent bike paths inside dooring zones of parallel parking bays. Even though I'm sure parking motorists of NL are MUCH more aware of cyclists zooming by everywhere this still seems a serious threat, isn't it?
Although this probably happens sometimes, it is quite rare. I am 39 years old and personally do not know of any cases. Maybe that is due to the number of cyclists. It is so obvious that you need to be careful when opening car doors that you don not forget. Only with kids it can be a risk. I remember my parents used to warn me all the time.
@@maxvanamstel1821 Me too and I can seriously remember that when I was in driving school, I didn't even think about paying attention to cyclists when opening the door, it was engraved in my memory. As my parents did not have a car when I grew up, having a rental around was special enough and thus the warning by my parents to look behind you for cyclists (or wait till they said it was okay to open the door when I was younger) was just so normal that it was second nature in driving school. And I could clearly tell that the kids who would have a lesson after me (and would drive me home) whose parents DID have a car, apparently forgot or just weren't told about that danger as they had to be remembered about it frequently.
I've found that remembering to always keep right in the bicycle lane helps avoid near passes. It takes practice and you need to be conscious about it, but it makes you predictable as a cyclist and gives others more room to pass. I know the ultimate responsibility is on the person who passes (not trying to victim-blame here), but we as cyclists can at least do some things to encourage safe behavior in others.
@@LZWEHDKE I second miles5600 here: you can keep right as much as you want, but a lot of people these days seem to forget how wide their bicycle handlebar is and pass you at very close range, closer than is necessary or good for both parties. I sometimes can't keep my mouth shut and mention it, which usually gets those people going with verbal agression.
Never seen one in the countryside like this. But it looks like a fietsstraat, or bicyclestreet. It's got a sign saying: fietsstraat, autos te gast (bicyclestreet, cars are guests). Ie behave like a guest when in a car.
@@kooistradurk maybe you are right that does seem like the best explanation. I know what a fietsstraat is I practically life near one. :-) But they didn't make it look like that.
It really is worth investigating as to how it was that billion$ and billion$ worth of bike lanes were installed at the same time everywhere in all countries and the in all communities …all over the entire world!! And yet getting a new stop sign is a big deal. 🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎 ?????? What a world!!😴😴😴😴
Please learn some different annotation! ^_^ it sounds like a 1950's American nuclear advisory PBS broadcast! Other than that ... I love this channel and its content. You and "NotJustBikes" :) Keep up the good work (but please, a bit less of the Polygoon news vibe in your voice :) no offense!)
That's why being a voice-over is an actual profession... If you don't have the voice, you can't train it. All about timbre. Yes it could sound a bit more happy, but most likely, this is just how he sounds.
Sae pisan pikeun conto. Barudak leutik oge arapaleun yen gambar sapedah teh hartosna jalan ieu husus kanggo sapedah. Ulah pedah keur lowong teu aya sapedah nu ngaliwat hayoh weh mobil, motor, nu dagang nganggo gorobag, nu dagang kaki lima jeung sajabana nempatan ieu jalan, ari aya nu ngawagel ngemutan yen jalan ieu teh husus kanggo sapedah ehhh malah ngajak pasea.
"Suggestion lane" I actually burst out laughing when I heard that. I don't know if it's the same in Dutch, but that name is really befitting to their lack of legal status.
I dont like most bicycle infrastucture. It brings too many bad cyclists on the road, on my bike I'm regularly getting stuck behind slow bicyclists and car drivers became more hostile on roads without bicycle infrastructure. Where there used to be coexistence, there is nowadays aggression.
Seems blatantly obvious that the single step that would have the greatest improvement in safety of Dutch cyclists would be to get them to wear helmets. It's elementary physics that if you fall while on a bicycle and your head impacts the roadway, it will be moving at a vertical speed of roughly 20kph, irrespective of your horizontal speed. The human skull simply is not "designed" to protect your brain against an impact into a hard surface at that speed. Bicycle lanes may protect against collisions with motor vehicles, but the focus on them ignores the fact that it's quite possible to fall down for a variety of other reasons. People forget that cyclists are balancing on two small contact patches and/or mistakenly think that they aren't going fast enough to get hurt in a fall.
And yet, cycling in The Netherlands is safer than anywhere else. They have the lowest fatalities per travelled kilometer along with Denmark. Indeed, the numbers in Denmark and The Netherlands are quite similar, despite the fact that almost 40% of Danish cyclists use helmets - suggesting that the helmets basically make no difference. And if you were really so concerned about safety, you would be wearing a helmet at all times, not just when cycling. About 1,200 Danes die from head-injuries every year, only 1% (ONE) are cyclists. Where is the call to get everyone to wear helmets?
People forget that we are basically born with a bicycle between our legs: the difference becomes significantly apparent when tourists start riding a bike in Amsterdam, while they haven't done for years or even decades (and why tourists want to cycle in one of the worst places in The Netherlands is still beyond me). They swerve all over the place and usually also have trouble getting up to speed and braking safely, either because they're not used to a backpedal brake, or just because they have learned themselves to put their feet down first. The big difference is that most Dutch cyclists behave far more considerate than in most other countries and as we are so used to it, we also look ahead. The majority of cyclists at least has some consideration for the other person out there just like the motorist, but it's a kind of tug-off-war in the UK, where motorists will do all kinds of things 'because the other is a cyclist' and the amount of silly cyclists is rather high as well, with most of them behaving in a sense like 'I'm a cyclist so YOU have to take me into account and I don't care how, I behave how I want to!' I'm Dutch and I have been cycling for something like 32 years by now and have only had 1 major incident/accident where I was hit from the right side by a motorist (car) who fortunately hit the brakes when she noticed me but unfortunately was just a tad too late. But my head didn't even contact the road-surface at all. Of course it does go wrong sometimes and especially the elderly and youngsters on their electric bikes don't help (with especially the elderly doing some very stupid things sometimes as they have completely lost their sense of speed), but it's really, really safe.
@@weeardguy Yes, I know that the Dutch and Danes enjoy a perceived blissful nirvana of perfect cycling, and like to spread the word to us less fortunate folk.. Luckily you've never been on the wrong side of the percentages. In 60 years of cycling (touring, commuting, racing), I've had only a few fall-downs, never been hit by a motor vehicle. The worst one came early on and left me with a badly broken collarbone and a bad concussion (fainting, fuzzy for a week, zero memory of the crash or the period leading up to it). Despite wearing an old fashioned "hairnet" helmet, which is what we had then, and without which I probably wouldn't be here. A crash like that really corrects one's viewpoint. Even if the odds are against such an event, it only takes once. Now I simply wear a helmet on the bicycle. Modern helmets are so light and comfortable one quickly forgets one has one on, wearing them is no inconvenience at all. You can learn from my experience or not - your choice. Oh, and PS: Holland and Denmark are not the only places where children are "born with a bicycle between their legs." I don't remember when I started cycling on the road, probably got my first 3-speed when I was about 5 or 6YO, rode trips of a few miles to visit school buddies, go to the market on errands for my Mom (we lived in a rural area), and 1-2 miles to/from school. Not factoring that into the 60 years figure,.
No, they change the infrastructure so cars will more likely to stick to the actual speed limits that are already in place. Because cars regularly don't follow the laws. Anyone would drive fast if the road *feels* wide. And the speed limits are there to minimize physical injury in case an accident does happen.
