A "Pinch-Point" design which slows cars without "pinching" bikes

On-road cycle-lane approaching a pinch-point. A potentially dangerous situation for cyclists. Note how from this view the driving lanes appears to narrow at the pinch-point.

Pinch points are often installed on roads to slow motor vehicles and to provide crossing places for pedestrians. They are often dangerous for cyclists. Road lanes which suddenly narrowed to encourage drivers to slow down can force them to come too close to cyclists resulting in close and dangerous overtaking or even a collision. However pinch-points do not have to be built in this way. In this blog post I illustrate a "pinch point" which doesn't really pinch at all. While the pinch-point appears from a distance to restrict the space for cars, resulting in drivers slowing down at the junction, the driving lane actually widens through the pinch point. The cycle-lane has constant width.

Thorbeckelaan from ground level
Thorbeckelaan has a 50 km/h speed limit. These photos were both taken while riding along the road from west to east.

Before the pinch-point. The driving lane is 2.8 metres wide, the cycle-lane 2.1 m wide. Note reasonably wide parking bays and a 0.5 m wide drain. The width of the drain helps to reduce dooring incidents (explained here), as does this being relatively infrequently moving residential parking and not business parking.

At the pinch-point, the cycle-lane remains the same width while the driving lane increases to 3.5 m in width. This still causes drivers to slow down. The narrowing of the driving lane back to 2.8 metres is visible after the central reservation. At this point there is of course no space for car parking.

From the air
Aerial photos (from Google Maps and Ongelukken Kaart) provide another view of the same cycle and driving lanes. The photos above were taken facing east (i.e. view is from left to right on the photos below):

On-road cycle-lanes - not really a good idea
This blog post highlights a good example of how a pinch-point can be built which successfully reserves space for pedestrians crossing the road and also slows drivers, without squeezing cyclists. It's certainly an improvement over other pinch-points I've seen where cyclists are squeezed by drivers as they pass through pinch-points. However I don't mean to suggest that this road layout, with an on-road cycle-lane, is actually particularly good. Such infrastructure shouldn't be an aspiration.

On-road cycle-lanes are well known to cause a myriad of problems for cyclists worldwide, but context is always important. This arrangement works fairly well on this road because cyclists travelling west-east along this particular road are protected from conflict by several other factors which are specific to the character of this road:

1. There are few destinations on this road so few clashes with drivers starting and stopping.
2. Residential side streets do not provide through routes by car and therefore few cars turn into or out of the side roads.
3. There are no bus-stops along this road.
4. The cycle-lane is of a good width, providing wiggle room.
5. The parking along the road is for residents, so those cars rarely move and the drain provides a gap where there are parked cars, reducing the risk of dooring.

Because of these factors, almost all motor traffic on this road travels all the way from one end to the other without stopping and there are few conflicts caused by drivers cutting across the cycle-lane. Note that both ends of this road have extremely safe junctions. At one end there is a very safe roundabout and the other has a very safe traffic light junction. Neither of those relatively large junctions have ever caused cyclist injury.

In other locations the problems would be greater. That is the reason why this layout is by no means a substitute for proper cycle-paths. Though it is overall quite well designed, this road (when riding west to east) is still one of the least pleasant along which to cycle within Assen. In particular, being overtaken by a bus or truck while riding side by side in the cycle-lane is not especially pleasant.

On the other side of the road there's a segregated cycle-path.
A video shows the popularity of the sports club on that side

The other side of the road
This road is unusual in that while there is an on-road lane for cyclists heading from west to east, cyclists heading in the east-west direction are provided with a kerb separated cycle-path on the other side of the road. The cycle-path not only feels far safer but due to being 2.5 metres wide and having a 0.5 metre buffer, it provides more space for cyclists further from motor vehicles.

On this side of the road, there is little or no discomfort due to being passed by a large vehicle.

Note that with a proper separate cycle-path, pinch-points have no effect whatsoever on cyclists so can be made quite narrow in order to reduce the speed of motor vehicles. However on this road the driving lane widens on both sides through the pinch-point.

Read about other examples of pinch points with cycle-paths and at village entrances.

This junction doesn't have a good safety record. Why ?
This road is a busy west-east route for both bicycles and motor vehicles. On its length there are three pinch points of a very similar design to that emphasized here. Two of these pinch points have a good safety record while this one has a relatively bad record by the standards of Assen. Why ? The reason is that this pinch point also happens to be a junction with a busy main cycle-route north-south which provides access from some suburban areas in the North to the city centre.

The red flag with "10" within it on the second aerial photograph tell us that this junction has seen ten incidents since 2007, four of which caused injuries to cyclists, one of which injured a moped rider and one of which caused the unfortunate death in 2009 of a 76 year old female moped rider, in collision with a large car.

A cropped version of the first photo in this blog post. Does
each participant in this scene know what the others are doing?

The most common recorded cause of crashes at this location is "no priority given". This suggests that people find it difficult to see each other well while maneuvering or find it difficult to judge whether they have time to complete a maneuvre. Turning across traffic from an on-road cycle-lane is always difficult because the cyclist's proximity to the driving lane results in having limited rear visibility. 180 degree head swiveling is required to see behind, which complicates control of the bicycle and makes correct decisions more difficult to make. The lack of gap between the cycle infrastructure and road also makes it more difficult for drivers to predict cyclist behaviour. Could you tell at a glance what everyone in the photo beside this paragraph was about to do ?

It has been known for many years that unsignalled crossings are far more dangerous than either well designed roundabouts or well designed traffic light junctions. Therefore it should not be surprising to us that the well designed junctions at both ends of this road (both of which are illustrated at the links in the previous sentence) have a far better safety record than this relatively minor junction half way along this road.

Due to the designed higher speed of this road (speed limit 50 km/h), the heavier traffic at this location and limited sight-lines compared with motor vehicle speed, this is not a suitable location for a cycle priority crossing like those which I looked at a few weeks ago.

How not to build a pinch-point
Pinch points which cause problems for cyclists are far more common than those which do not. Here are two examples which featured regularly on my commutes in Cambridge:

Don't copy this: Several narrow pinch points exist on the narrow but busy trunk road which passes through Harston in Cambridgeshire. Cyclists have no good alternative to using this road. Drivers habitually exceed the speed limit here, especially at the ends of the village where the speed limit drops sharply from 60 mph to 30 mph. I estimate the width of the road through this pinch point to be around 3 m. No additional space is provided for cycling. Note also dangerous steel railings which cyclists can be pushed against and that the paint pattern used in the middle of the road through almost the entire village also encourages drivers to give as little space as possible when overtaking cyclists.

Don't copy this: When the new development of Orchard Park was built in Cambridge, the re-design of roads near the development brought many new dangers for cyclists. Several crossings and other features were added to Kings Hedges Road and they were nearly all built with pinch points in widths known to encourage close passes by drivers. Orchard Park could have been built similarly to new Dutch developments. e.g. Kloosterveen

Both of the examples of pinch-points above increase danger to cyclists. They reserve no separate space for cyclists at all and they encourage bad overtaking behaviour by drivers, especially those who misjudge the speed of a cyclist and believe they have more time to overtake than in actually the case.

But it's not only in other countries that mistakes have been made. We don't have to look very far from home in the Netherlands to find bad examples from this country. For example, we also have these examples near the centre of Groningen and in a residential area in Assen:

Don't copy this: This very poor pinch-point in Groningen demonstrates nearly the opposite of what is shown in the good example above. The road lane decreases from 3.5 m to 2.8 m through the pinch point while the cycle-lane is an inadequate 1.2 m the whole time. This leaves a width which encourages close overtakes - e.g. by that bus. Just because something exists in the Netherlands, that doesn't mean it's a good example

Copy this only with caution: This is a residential street in Assen which has a relatively minor speeding and through traffic problem. These planters create a different type of pinch-point, potentially causing conflict between cyclists and drivers heading in both directions. Even when the same idea is used with a cycle bypass there is still potential for danger.

Just because something exists in the Netherlands, that doesn't mean it's a good example. Context is always important and ideas which may work well enough in one street in the Netherlands cannot necessarily be translated to a different place and work well there too. Older examples like this are perhaps more understandably sometimes of poor design, but there are also examples of less well thought through brand new infrastructure which work poorly.

Not enough space ?

One of many very narrow streets in
Assen which didn't have enough space
for a pinch-point or for motor vehicles
either. Assen moved the through
motor traffic elsewhere.

I predict that some peoples' response will be there is not enough space in a given location for a safe pinch point to be built. This may be true for some locations, but if it is true then I would contend that before considering building a dangerous design of pinch point you should think very carefully about whether any pinch point at all is appropriate in that location.

Other ways of removing conflict are possible. For instance, moving motor vehicles onto completely different routes. This has resulted in many minor streets and roads in the Netherlands working extremely well for cyclists and pedestrians without the need for pinch points or other obvious physical infrastructure.

Learn more by seeing the real thing

Book now

We offer the only independent study tours of Dutch cycling infrastructure with a native English speaking guide to minimise the chance of "lost in translation" errors. On our study tours we take care to demonstrate not only many good examples of good infrastructure but also explain why the less good examples should not be emulated.

Cycling with limited hearing or deafness

Floor has a hearing problem but that doesn't mean she can't cycle. A limited hearing sign warns people behind her not to rely upon being heard.

A hearing problem or even a complete lack of hearing can cut people off from what is happening behind them. This is a potential problem when cycling because cyclists rely upon ringing a bell or their voice in order to communicate that they wish to pass.

The same symbol can be used
on a rucksack

In the Netherlands, everyone cycles. That includes people with many disabilities including limited hearing and deafness. The Stichting Plotsdoven (Sudden Deafness Foundation) are amongst the people promoting the sign shown on the back of Floor's bike above as a way to warn cyclists that the rider ahead of them cannot hear their bell.

Short for  Slechthorend,
or limited hearing.

There has actually long been another symbol used on bicycles in the Netherlands to indicate the same thing. An SH sign is seen quite often attached to the back of bicycles.

Because the new yellow sign does not rely upon knowledge of Dutch and because the picture of an ear gives a greater chance that people will understand what the sign means without being told, this is perhaps a better idea as a standard for international use by cyclists with limited hearing or deafness.

For now, though, cyclists in the Netherlands need to know what both these signs mean.

Bollards on cycle-paths provide both an opportunity and danger ("The Fifty Bollard Game")

I took this photo in 2006 near Eindhoven
Bollards converted a country road into
a cycle-only thorough route. Read more
about country roads

I've been interested in the use of bollards on Dutch cycle facilities for a long time. They stand out to cycling visitors to this country as there are thousands of these bollards and they're almost always installed in order to demarcate places for cycling from those for driving.

Bollards provide the least expensive way to begin to unravel routes for motor vehicles from those for cycles. Bollards offer one of the simplest and most effective cycling measures. But it must be remembered that there is no single technique which works everywhere. Doing this is a first step applicable in some places but you need to also do all the other effective things to achieve a high cycling modal share.

Also from 2006, motor through traffic
calmed in a village, with bike bypass.

The Fifty Bollard Game
During the September 2011 Study Tour, one of the participants, Kevin Hickman, proposed a game. He mused that fifty bollards at around €100 each would not be a very large investment for any city or district but if installed correctly they could result in a substantial improvement for cycling. The "game" proposed is to be played by cycle-campaigners assuming they have fifty bollards at their disposal and working out where they would be best placed to improve conditions for cycling in their area. This is an interesting idea which can lead into positive campaigning and I've been meaning to write about it for nearly two years now, however I held back because I knew bollards are not entirely positive. They are used extensively in the Netherlands, but there are limits and bollards are sometimes unpopular because they can cause problems. More on that later.

Already old infrastructure in Assen
in 2007. Direct by bike, not by car.

There are sometimes rather fanciful notions floated about how Dutch drivers behave markedly differently to drivers in other countries. In fact, just as people everywhere are much the same, drivers everywhere are much the same. This should come as no surprise as while some cycling campaigners may appear to forget it sometimes, drivers actually are people.

Cycle-paths are sufficiently attractive that The Netherlands has no need to use physical barriers to prevent cyclists from wanting to use roads, but sometimes bollards are required to prevent drivers from using cycle-facilities or cycle-only through roads as short-cuts.

Bollard to prevent drivers from using
a bicycle underpass in Assen

Bollards appear primarily where cycling routes meet driving routes. They're also used to prevent minor roads from being used for through journeys (segregating modes without a cycle-path and helping to unravel driving routes from cycling routes) and in other places, for example to discourage parking of cars where they are not wanted.

It is not completely unknown, but it is rare that bollards on cycle-paths in the Netherlands cause cyclists to have to slow down. They are used to keep motor vehicles away, not to make cycling inconvenient. The distance between bollards should never be less than one metre. This is required so that cyclists with disabilities can go everywhere that the able bodied can and it results in tricycles, trailers and bicycles heavily laden with bulging panniers being able to pass easily between barriers.

Good Examples from my extensive collection of bollard photos

Very narrow street in Zwolle. Perhaps a road like this would be considered to have "no room for cycle-paths" elsewhere, but in the Neherlands it's made into a no-go zone for motor vehicles. Black bollards are not ideal.

Cars are not to be parked on this grass verge near a school

New wide cycle-path in Zwolle. Motorists kept off by bollard also used to divide the two lanes on the cycle-path and to provide a very obvious indication of where the junction is. Bikes have priority at this crossing. This is safe only with careful design. Note how the cycle-path surface is continuous while the road surface is broken.

Bridge in new suburb of Assen. Bikes have enhanced permeability over cars, and as a result, cyclists have shorter journeys than drivers. This makes cycling more attractive than driving.

Industrial area in Assen. A single bollard motorists from using the cycle-path as a short-cut or making a u-turn in this location.

1970s residential area in Assen. Bollards used either side of a crossing between cycle-path and road to prevent drivers using the more direct route available by bike. This is analogous to the example above with the bridge in the new suburb. The same policies have been successfully applied for decades.

Decades ago this was a quiet road through the countryside. It would now be used by drivers if not for the use of bollards to transform it into a very attractive cycling only route through Assen where cyclists again gain an advantage of more direct journeys and shorter distances.

To get from there to here in this residential area by car involves a considerable detour. Shorter routes make cycling more attractive, whatever your age.

Not actually bollards but a good example from Cambridge. A rat-run was eliminated, transforming residential streets to be relatively quiet for their residents and making a good through route by bike. The city needs more of this. I tried to encourage residents of the road where we lived to ask for the same treatment but they preferred being able to drive in both directions over quiet and safety for their children. The use of planters only really makes sense if they will be maintained properly.

Bad examples
Many bad examples result from misguided attempts to exclude mopeds from cycle-paths. In these cases the cure is very often worse than the disease. "Invisible" bollards or bollards placed so close together that they impede cycling or hidden around a corner so that they provide an unpleasant surprise for cyclists are also not good infrastructure.

Almost invisible concrete post in the middle of a cycle-path in Eindhoven, probably totally invisible after dark. I took this photo in 2001 so it is very likely that this has been changed.

Industrial area in Assen. Bollards used as a traffic calming pinch point to slow large vehicles and provide a bicycle bypass but because they do so by diverting trucks into the space occupied by bikes this could be dangerous. Because it's a non-through route industrial area and there is not much traffic here this is probably not a great problem, but this is not something which would work well on a street with lots of motor vehicles and lots of bicycles.

These bollards in Cambridge prevent motorists from using a useful cut-through accessible by bike, but they are also impossible to use with a trailer behind a bicycle. The black paint does nothing to make them more visible at night.

The other end of the same cut-through. It's an official cycle-route, so why has it been made so difficult to access by bike ? The black paint makes these obstructions difficult to see under some conditions, the triangular arms of these bollards are almost invisible at speed and the gap between them is extremely narrow. The potential for injury here is very high indeed.

Narrow bicycle bridge in Cambridge. After riding downhill and picking up speed, you have to stop and dismount to negotiate these barriers, which may well catch you by surprise because they're not easy to see. First your brakes had better work well, but if you're riding a three wheeler, pulling a trailer or have a disability you'll have problems getting through here under any circumstances. These obstructions perform no useful purpose.

Bicycle/foot bridge in Cambridge. After picking up speed downhill, these three bollards are clustered behind a blind corner. Because this bridge is already very narrow, only slightly over 2 m wide in total, such a dangerous obstruction is not required to prevent motorists from using it so it's not clear what problem these three bollards are supposed to solve. Conflict between cyclists and pedestrians is increased because the straightest line possible for a cyclist riding at speed is to use the pedestrian side of the path. Danger of losing control is increased by the British practice of installing textured paving the wrong way around on the cycling side of the path.

The other end of the same bridge has the same problem. Another three closely clustered bollards which serve no useful purpose.

Excessive bollards in the middle of the cycle-half of a not very wide, not very long and strangely designed path in Cambridge. These help to ensure that motorists have priority at the entrance to a primary school. Schools for children too young to drive cars should not be designed around cars, they should be designed to encourage a high level of independence amongst the children who attend the school.

A through road in Groningen with shops on both sides. The cycle-path is segregated from cars by use of many solid bollards, each of which creates a serious danger for cyclists and reduces the effective width of the lane. On colliding with such a post, a cyclist will almost certainly fall and that fall could be onto the road where a secondary collision with a motor vehicle is possible. There is also no forgiving kerb on the other side of the cycle-path (left in this picture). Such posts should never be used to separate cycle-paths from roads (see a better example for a similar road layout)

Cycling England was a government (under)funded organisation which promoted cycling in the UK between 2005 and 2011. I wrote about their unfortunate demise. Sadly, CE set their standards far too low. This photo was actually on their website as a "good" example of infrastructure. The "good" aspect of it was that the bollards are offset so that cyclists who wriggle enough can get between the gaps. Very Slowly. This is not nearly good enough. This example has far too many bollards across a narrow path and good cycling infrastructure does not make cyclists slow down and wriggle. Quite apart from how much inconvenience it causes for someone who simply wants to get somewhere by bike, how well does this work with a trailer, for disabled people etc. ?

What's wrong with bollards ? How are the problems being solved ?

Local newspaper cutting from Assen.
Bollards are removed in winter to
allow snow ploughs and gritting
vehicles onto the cycle-path. Drivers
are warned that removal of bollards
doesn't mean they can drive on them.

Colliding with a rigid metal, wood or concrete bollard on a bicycle can cause serious injury or even death. This is a surprisingly common occurrence. Hundreds of injuries a year result from cyclists riding into bollards in The Netherlands. Though we have to recognize that this happens in a place where there are millions of cyclists and these cyclists are the safest anywhere in the world, we must in any case be very careful about recommending bollards and careful to apply them in a way that is not dangerous.

This type of collision is over-represented in injuries to older people. These injuries have risen in recent years along with the rise in cycling amongst older people. Older people may not have such good eyesight and may not see the bollards so easily. When they fall, they are injured more easily. Another group of cyclists who are injured more frequently than average by bollards are faster cyclists who may simply not have enough reaction time if a bollard is not adequately visible due to vegetation or a blind corner.

Dutch bollards are usually painted with red and white stripes which make them reasonably easy to see in daytime, but the small reflectors often fitted don't help all that much at night time. However they are painted, bollards remain quite small objects and it's impossible to make sure that people will always see them.

For several years now the policy in The Netherlands has been to remove or reduce the number of bollards in order to reduce their potential for injury. Where they are still required, experiments are taking place different types of bollards such as the flexible bollards shown in this video:


Note who is shown using the cycle-path. It is normal for racing cyclists to use cycle-paths in The Netherlands because cycle-paths offer the same advantages of shorter distances and better safety for fast cyclists as they do for slow cyclists. In this case, both racers and retired people on electric bikes are shown using the cycle-path with the new bollards, these being the two groups most affected.

Painted markings to highlight bollards
on the cycle-path aren't entirely new.
This photo is from the 2006 Study Tour

Six month long evaluations are currently taking place across the country with the aim of comparing different new designs of bollards. The aim of each is the same - reducing injury rates. As well as being flexible, the new bollards include such features as greater width, lighter colours to make them more visible and solar powered lighting for better visibility after dark. Trials are also using such things as changed design of paint on the cycle-path and textured surfaces to warn cyclists that they are approaching a bollard.

Now it's your turn
If you were provided with fifty bollards, how could you use them in your location ? Are there residential streets which could better serve their residents and be better for through cycling if rat-running was stopped ? Do you have minor rural roads which need the same treatment ? Do you have places where motorists park their cars and cause problems ? Any bollards to be used should be placed sparingly as creating obstructions for cyclists is not the aim and keep in mind the Dutch experience of how excess or badly placed bollards can easily result in injury.

Also consider what bollards you would like to remove in your location ? Bear in mind that successful bollard usage requires that they are both visible and easy to pass. If you have clusters as shown in some of the bad examples above then the situation would almost certainly be improved by removing most of them.

Arguments that cycling is "too expensive" to provide for do not really hold water. Cycling budgets are small compared with the budgets for other projects (including other transport projects) in every country, including The Netherlands. However the possibility of improving things for cycling relatively little expense is still attractive. It provides a chance for positive campaigning.

The fifty bollard game is a first step
A good first step can be achieved by using bollards and similar techniques to improve permeability for cycling vs. other modes. This is a good thing to do, but I have to emphasize that this is only one of several possible first steps and that having played this "game" the job is not done. Campaigners must not stop at this point because you need all the things that work in the Netherlands in order to get everyone to cycle as in The Netherlands. Campaigners and planners who have low aspirations can never achieve great ends.

See the rest of the steps required

This blog can only give you an introduction to
what you need to do. For a greater understanding
Join us on a study tour.

Neither this blog nor any other can show you all the details of what makes cycling so commonplace in The Netherlands. To begin to understand this you need to experience it, preferably with a guide.

We have been learning about how and why cycling "works" in the Netherlands since last century and we've organised Cycling Infrastructure Study Tours since 2006. Take advantage of our many years of experience to reduce the time it takes for you to learn what you need to do beyond the first steps such as bollards.

We can organise a tour on any date to suit your group. We also organise open tours each year to make the tours affordable for individuals who are not part of a group. Many hundreds of people have already learnt about Dutch cycling infrastructure by coming on our tours, take part yourself in order to find out about the other steps you need to take to transform your home into a place which approaches Dutch levels of liveability.

Kennington People on Bikes wrote about problems due to bollards in London. You still want more ? Try the Bollards of London blog.

Vending machines and free of charge indoor cycle-parking

Last week we hosted a study tour group from Norway. There are always a few things that we discover that we've not seen before. This is one of them. A bicycle light vending machine.

Bicycles parked at the university in Groningen - the indoor cycle-parking with the vending machine is just around the corner and helps to reduce stress here.

If you leave your bicycle outside
of a rack it will be "towed away".

The reason why we found the vending machine is that it was inside a free facility that we visited in which 725 bicycles can be parked indoor and are guarded. Like all cities in the Netherlands, Groningen has a bit of a problem finding enough space for all the bicycles to be parked without them being in the way. This is why bicycles are threatened with being "towed away" and why there are such initiatives as red carpets on sidewalks to reserve space for pedestrians. Ultimately the bicycles have to go somewhere, and providing indoor cycle parking which is free to use is one way of dealing with a part of the problem rather than simply punishing people which might lead to less cycling. That's why Groningen has built several such facilities in peak cycle-parking areas, such as next to the university and next to a cinema.

Most Dutch cities have indoor guarded cycle parking, and many of them are free to use. For example, this cycle-park which opened last year in the rebuilt library/theatre/cinema complex in Assen:



When we were at this cycle-park last week on the study tour, there was someone vacuuming around the bicycles. Making sure that cycle-parking is clean and attractive and doesn't smell improves social safety and is part of what makes it work.
See other examples of guarded cycle parking in other places.

A blog post including details of the study tour will appear on Tuesday. Until then, read blog posts about previous study tours.

Previous blog posts show a vending machine for inner tubes and a vending machine for complete bicycles. We sell much better bike lights than those available from that machine.

Van blocking the cycle-path

Van "blocking" a four metre wide cycle-path. Note that
pedestrians have their own 2 m wide path. The widths of
both paths remain the same through the underpass

Just like anywhere else in the world, maintenance vehicles in The Netherlands sometimes stop on cycle-paths.

I took this photo on the way to the shops a few days ago (the same route as in this video).

Of course it is a bit of an irritation when vehicles like this stop on the cycle-path. However, usually they pull off the cycle-path, and when they have no choice but to block it, they only block half of it. As vehicles like this are usually there for a good reason and really not much of an obstruction is caused, few people would complain.

Just 200 m away, a van "blocking" a residential street.
Pedestrians have paths on both sides of this street. Service
vehicles cause the same degree of obstruction on the road
as on the cycle-path because both are of similar width

Of course, it's not just cycle-paths that occasionally have maintenance vans parked on them.  Maintenance is also needed on roads and streets. Just around the corner from the first example, I spotted the example to the right.

Again it's not really causing much of a problem because it's only blocking half of the street. The same situation, the same level of inconvenience.

Equal obstacle opportunities for roads and bike-paths !

Of course, the problems caused by maintenance vehicles on cycle-paths would be much greater if there were not so much room. This is an advantage of having sensible widths for cycle-paths.

The cycle-path in the photo at the top is not special. It's simply part of a normal, everyday route. Standards need to be high everywhere so that conditions are good wherever someone chooses to cycle. It's no good if high standards are reserved only for a few special pieces of infrastructure. Read more about the need for a tight grid of high quality cycling facilities.

Note that when there are ongoing road works which cause real disruption, Dutch cyclists are not forgotten.

Red carpet for pedestrians

Groningen's great success in cycling has lead to problems which are not so common elsewhere. One of these is the enormous number of bicycles which need to be accommodated.

Sometimes the pavements (sidewalks) are so attractive for cycle parking that there is little space left for pedestrians to walk on.

In some of the busy areas where cycle-parking puts pedestrians under pressure, Groningen uses red carpets to indicate places where you may not park your bike in order to preserve some space for walking.

The film shows how this works in practice:

Note that the textual captions on this video are only visible if viewed on a computer and not on a mobile device

Our study tours include a visit to Groningen where you will see the red carpet in use.