Why Utrecht removed cycle paths to improve a street 

Cities aren't noisy, cars and trucks are.

If I were there ..I would feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven....One of my former lives must have been living in Holland...Thank you for this lovely reminder of my trip to Holland a few years ago...

Rest of the world: We want protected cycle paths like in the Netherlands. The Netherlands: Let's get rid of protected cycle paths.

Love it! Your videos are great and they inspire American planners like myself to do better design. We are working on designing a couple continuous sidewalks as a pilot and I have your channel and Not Just Bikes to thank for that! There are many other features we would like to do as well, but it will be some time before those improvements are carried out city-wide.

what the title of the video says: "Why Utrecht removed cycle paths to improve a street" what the video actually shows: "Why Utrecht removed a street to improve cycle paths"

"This crossing is made safe for small children ... And for guys pushing a load of beer" 😸🍻

Here in Germany, we are still mostly hoping for bike infrastructure like this street had before the improvement. It always blows my mind how little we learn from our lovely neighbors.

They really took advantage of the covid crisis, since the University was closed and this is one of the main cycle routes between the train station + University (centre) and the University Science Park. Usually this road would be loaded with students, but everyone had to study digitally, so it was possible to do some road maintenance 👏

Keep it up, I really like your videos, they are like mini documentaries of the Netherlands with regards to cycling.

Something similar is happening with Venloer Straße in Cologne! The old cycle Lanes have become too narrow, so the whole street will get traffic calming (20km/h), and through traffic will get reduced

To be fair, delivery vans and trucks are such an accepted part of city life I'm not even annoyed at them as a cyclist. But I do tend to avoid shared spaces, because here, cars (and buses) are definitely not the guest. Or at least, don't behave like one.

Watching these videos always make me wanna get on my bike and just ride across countries to go and see the Netherlands in person. :D

American clickbait title: Even the Dutch are removing annoying cycle paths!

Love the narrated videos so much more informative 👌

Good to see Utrecht fixing herself

My my, wonderful country, as i said, i wish new delhi also lick that.... Lord have mercy. Richard James. Sir please keep up lording more videos.. Regards. Richard james. New Delhi India...

Every time I see small kids peddling like a boss on a tiny bike ... my heart makes a little jump for joy.

So interesting what you are documenting for the world! It's very worthy and important :)

Nice video once again, wanna make an small arguement about package delivery truck. As a delivery driver myself for DHL, we got like 150-200 package average daily, about 130-180 stop we need to make. It's nearly impossible to park legally every single stop, or park at parking place, it's really time consuming and not possible, especially in an busy area. Not to mention, I do get really heavy package to deliver dailly. I have to park right next to the delivery adres to keep it up with time and package and for my spine. Company are trying their best to switch to electric car or to bicycle. There is still a huge personnel shortage for delivery driver, only by bike are just not an option when online shopping are growing and growing. Really no need to be so against car in every aspect, sometime they park there cuz they have to. It's just sounded like an car people complaining everything about bike in other country.

Magnifique !!! C’est le genre de rue qui fait RÊVER !!!

So the Netherlands is almost coming full circle in its road design, but are leaving the worst parts in the past. Must be nice haha

Watching the cityscape of the Netherlands today is like watching a people-centric futurama for some places, or a fever dream in many others.

At 2:23 there's a confusing Dutchism. "What looks like a brick surface in the centre is really a strip of printed asphalt." You were probably thinking "gedrukte", which could be translated as either "printed" or (in this case) "pressed". (If it was "printed", it would be smooth, without ridges between the "bricks".)

My desire to move to Utrecht increases with every video you publish about it, thank you :)

This is so beautiful! Cities for people not for cars!

I used to work a near the Nachtegaalstraat. Getting lunch from te supermarket was hellish. Lots of peasants using a half a meter sidewalk. Lots and lots and lots of bikers on the cycle path next tot it. It was pretty usual to walk on the cycle path and just pray some cyclist wasn’t gonna hit you. Its really nice to see how they improved this street!

This is a great example of what I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. Which is that we need to ban private cars (except for disabled people) in urban areas in countries like the UK that have no real bike network. Give towns and cities back to people. No money required for new infrastructure, immediate emission and pollution cuts, people would be happier and healthier etc.

Will have to visit soon. Great work

The Weteringschans street in Amsterdam has now been also turned to "Bike priority ways", and they're planing to make a ring of bike ways around Amsterdam center. Can't wait

You are such an inspiration for me! Your videos help me to persuade people to change design of our city streets.

Zoals gewoonlijk weer een goede, interessante video! Ik geniet er altijd van. Mooi om te zien, de Nachtegaalstraat nu

Amazing transformation! Thank you for sharing this story.

A country that i would very much like to meet in person.

Ah yes, a 'Bicycle street'. I start to see them more often each year in my city as well. Good development.

Nederland is cutch a beautiful country. I would love to one day be part of that. South Africa is falling.

I would like Hilversum to take cycling and walking a bit more serious.

Love all your videos. The world can learn a lot from the Dutch, that's for sure.

I'm amazed they do that. In here, the police and a parliament member wants to get rid of a new protected cycling lane because it was "ineffective" and was "unfair" to motorcyclist. They claimed that motorcyclist club member will demand a motorcyclist lane for themselves, so they wanted the cycling lane to be removed.

Of course this is only possible because biking is the main forum of transport in cities in the Netherlands, in other countries this would be too dangerous due to lack of familiarity with daily biking. I think biking lanes are a good way to start, as they did here.

The speed limit is still 30 kmph at 2:56 it’s only recommended to drive 15 kmph

What an improvement!

Bicycle Dutch had us in the first half not gon lie.

Beautiful city.

I wish the UK was more like that.

looks amazing. 👌

Great city this should be the future for all city centres

Now add some trees, and it will be a real nice street ;)

Excellent. I want to go there one day.

I love your videos and in this case your optimistic view on the reconstruction of the Nachtegaalstraat where I drive weekly. Can't resist to realize that actually this is a reconstruction to a situation to the previous century, especially when I need to go around a(n) (illegally) parked car or a legally stopped bus, looking over my shoulder for approaching cars from behind (who, as always, is driving to fast). Dunno. The whole "improvement" reminds me of the fairy tale about the new (non existing) clothes of the emperor. They say it's better, so it must be better. True, the bicycle paths were too narrow and so was the pedestrian area, but now I feel as a cyclist very exposed to cars (again). Very mixed feelings. Time will tell.

Wonderful!

Non-Dutch engineers: instructions unclear, road is even worse now

I think many areas of big cities in Europe could benefit from being transformed into pedestrian and (small electric) personal mobility devices only. Like ‘long rectangular’ areas of a few blocks/streets. That way cars and trucks can still serve the area from outter roads.

Bicycles, ebikes and escooters are great options for last mile, short distance travel. All cities need to do more to encourage people to ride bicycles by providing safe, protected bike lanes and trails. Every adult and child should own a bicycle and ride it regularly. Bicycles are healthy exercise and fossil fuels free transportation. Electric bicycles are bringing many older adults back to cycling. Ride to work, ride to school or ride for fun.

Very nice what they are doing in Utrecht, but please be considerate of delivery drivers, their job is never easy and could be even harder now - remember they are essential workers doing a stressful job

Very comparable to the Fietsstraat (Dorpsstraat) in Castricum. Good job!

This is absolutely beautiful. I wish the US would follow Europeans example of how inner city travel can be handled.

Many people in the comments are not understanding: they didn’t revert back to a road without cycle path. Now the entire road is a cycle path where cars are allowed to pass by, giving priority to bicycles. Inevitably this causes traffic to be very slow and tricky so unless absolutely necessary cars will most likely choose an alternative road. That’s why he says the “cars are guests” in this road. Maybe people need to pass by to get home or to deliver stuff to the many shops…but nobody will use it to get from a to b

The 15km/h in the (any) school zone is not a law but a advise! Round with red circle is max speed, blue square is advise.

Lovely place!

In Germany: "Good idea. But wait! Where should we park our cars? And 30 km/h makes no sense."

... and the local traders thrive...

Wat een leuke straat!

Wow this is amazing! I need to find a way to move to Amsterdam! 😭

30 km/h seems to be the norm now more and more in cities centres

You had me in the first half, not gonna lie.

if there is an end goal in mind for cycling advocates, having cycling so good you remove cycling protection is probably the end goal.

about time they did this

We need this in brussels

Because of the shops and not enough dedicated loading zones there often are vans in the way on the road. some modifications might be helpful. and behaviour of cars in the street is still unsafe. But I do think it's a step ahead.

Are you going to do a video in Leeuwarden too? With the Drachtsterplein that is completely redesigned and the crossing at the train station? Also will you make playlists of your videos for each province? Keep up the good work!!! 😘

Nitpicking on details; The 'speed limit' signs in BLUE are ADVISORY speed limits. Nobody is required to follow them, but they serve as an advisory speed, to better handle the local situation. You may find these in sharp turns, or, like in the video, in a school zone. Actual speed limits are marked with a red outline. Under dutch traffic law, delivery vans and trucks and such are allowed to stop in the middle of the road if they need to make a delivery. A privilege they gladly abuse to do their job as quick as possible. Point is that they don't need to use a parking space to do this. Loading/unloading and letting someone get in or out of your car are the ONLY situations in which it is allowed to park on the road.

that dude on the bike in front of the AH at 1:40 had a flat tire i think haha

Wow I'm jealous

Love the video

life is too precious to be stuck in traffic

with a speed limit of 15km/h does that mean that you can get a ticket for biking too fast?

I think that they can and should even get more restrictive with cars.

If only more roads simply had people on foot and bike.

I feel like this would only work in the Netherlands Anywhere else motorists would start harassing and assaulting anyone riding a bike on the road because "THE ROAD IF FUR DA CAHS!"

80s let´s build bicyclepaths everywhere building sector: YEAH 20s let´s get rid of all the bicyclepaths building sector: HELL YEAH

3.17 zal wel net voor het ingaan van de belachelijke nieuwe regels van 1 juli zijn gefilmd.

Nice but only works if the cars have another faster route to go. If there is only one way for the cars to go through and you make it a bicycle road then it's actually a lot more dangerous.

For the average American this must be true horror.... Glad I live in a place (Almere) where going to the City means a 30 minute walk through a park via walk and cycle lanes without crossing ANY road.

Correct me, if I am wrong. I got the feeling, the Dutchs don't hate car. They know, where it makes sense to allow car's and where not. So got every type of transportation his own room and can safe drive. That's the reason, why the durch build's big car rings around there cities. So every car ride on this instead of small streets in the city center. I live in Germany, local NGOs and the Greens telling me, how beautiful the cities in the Netherlands are. They say, we must change our cities to this and banned all car's from the city. I don't think, that's the right way and not the way, which the Netherlands going...

1:40 wait you still have blokker in the Netherlands?? I'm jealous, they went bankrupt in Belgium.

It's more like ... Rest of the World - We want protected bike lanes but can we at least have sidewalks and painted bike lanes? Netherlands - We want the whole road for bikes! MOAR BIKES!

This is an interesting case study. Can you tell us, was anything done around this street to actively discourage car traffic other than changing the street type itself and the speed limit? Are cars directed away from the street at the end of it? Were any routes blocked off to cars? If not, it seems like the only thing making this work is the fact that you have a culture of cycling already, and so the sheer number of cyclists warrants it, and you have drivers that are already educated to what this "cars are guests" thing means. In the UK this wouldn't work so well. Drivers would probably ignore it because they're not used to it. The only places this works are in very low traffic streets. I live next to a high-street where it's a single lane one way street. There is a bypass around the high street and so the street itself is only really used for people who actually need to access it. There are bollards at the entrance making it very narrow to get through and speed bumps. Also parking is not allowed (except for unloading). It works great in that scenario, but it wouldn't if it was a street that people used to actually go somewhere else.

Utrecht the best city in the Netherlands utreg my home town

That moped though.....

I just read that 2/3 of deadly bike accidents are older people. I guess it is because they are less robust - both in skills and bones. Maybe tricycle should be more advertised to them? Harder to just tilt and easier to carry your shopping in the back basket. And probably easier to fit electric assistance, too. Anyone knows accident/crash test stats? Are they safer compared to 2-wheel bikes if hit by a car?

Are scooters alowed on this street? Do they obey the speed limit? What is the refuge space in the middle of the street for, against cyclists? So the (mostly) cyclists at 15km/h are a danger to pedestrians??

Clickbaity title - Yes, the *protected* cycle path was removed, but not the infrastructure itself for the cyclist. The car-centric road + separate cycle paths were turned into one shared "autoluwe" road for bicycles and cars, where the car driver is considered lower priority than the cyclist.

No trees planted on the northeast side? If trees with the right habitus were chosen there'd be ample space for 'm. Also: In Amsterdam I saw hedges planted on the street side of bike parking. It helps greatly for a more tranquil visual appearance. (please forgive this old green-freak's mumblings...) 😎

2:01 I'ts not that hard to enforce not parking in the loading bays. Just put up signs with a phone number and start taking them away. Collect your bicycle for a storage fee and a parking fine.

Next challenge: getting rid of scooters!

Im pretty sure they rerouted most car traffic aswell

>remove bike path >give cyclists the entire road

Seems a bit much to not expect to ride around a delivery/service vehicle doing their job. When noted both Bicyclist and Vehicles are extending their lack of manner.

This is what they tried to achieve in the Steenstraat in Arnhem but that failed miserably. That's not a nice street to bike because of the enormous amount of cars going through.

It was about time Utrecht got rid of all those very narrow cycle-paths. And that is because they have been jampacked with cyclists for years. Now the made what is called a "shared-space" where all users have the same rights. And no cardriver wants to hit a cyclist, and vice versa. I suggested that years ago but nobody listended. But, somebody eventually thought of the same solution.