Koen is one of my Dutch followers and he documented the construction of a rural cycle path between the villages of Leusden and Achterveld in the province of Utrecht. He mentioned his two videos in a comment to one of my posts today, but they deserve more attention, so this is an extra post for that reason. It is interesting to think that I had never heard of this project. To the Dutch this is just another cycle path, with no need to brag about it… But, we are going to do that anyway and right now!
What follows are Koen’s texts and his videos.
Hello Mark,
All of your excellent cycling video’s have inspired me to upload my own two videos about the construction of a cycle path near me. It was shot on my phone, so it’s not the same high quality, but seeing the works going on I thought it might be interesting anyway.
Where to find room for constructing a new cycle path? A look at before, during and after construction of a short stretch of a new cycle path. The cycle path was made in concrete in 2013. Leusden, province of Utrecht, the Netherlands.
I rode my bike four times and my car once to explain how they did it. Be sure to read the subtitles for an explanation!
Have a look at my other video for the next 4.5 kms: a new cycle path being constructed in concrete. Location: between Achterveld and Leusden, the Netherlands. After construction, the road will be repaved as well. After completion, the trees that were cut will be replaced with young trees.
BICYCLE DUTCH 
When cycling along this road during daytime, there’s nothing much wrong with it as it is. In the winter, in the dark and rain however, it’s a whole different story. The road is winding and lined with trees, so car drivers only see cyclists at the very last moment.
And then there’s rush hour. Hundreds of school children use this road to ride to school, and at the same time lots of cars, using it as a back route to get to a highway about 20 kms away. It got a lot better with the speed limit of 60 kph, and with the red suggestion lanes, but it still wasn’t good enough.
For fund reasons it was delayed, and talked about for 30 years, but finally it got underway.
Mark, I was flabbergasted but very honoured to see those videos get a place on your blog. Thanks!
Thanks, I have to admit, I was surprised to see 60km/h mixed with on-road bicycle lanes in the NL. But I see this is country road, still far better than what we’d have (80-110km/h + no advisory for cyclists) – guessing this is the street? http://goo.gl/maps/uLNjs. Gorgeous countryside!
60 kph and mixed with cycling is rule rather than exception in the Netherlands as far as it concerns small rural roads. Traffic is generally very light on those roads, though not here. The streetview location is correct (Asschatterweg, Leusden/Achterveld, NL) and shows very well the before situation.
Did they finish the construction, because it would be nice to see the route with someone filming on those new slabs of concrete all the way between those two towns. I do not have a plane ticket to Utrecht or Amsterdam, so I cannot actually get to this area. Not saying you have to go and do it.
i have already filmed it, but I have been so busy that I haven’t uploaded it yet. Perhaps this weekend.
Hopefully you can let us know on these comments, or in my subscription box, when you get the video uploaded.
I’ve uploaded a new film on the progress here: https://youtu.be/9OiC6o3TWyY
I rode my clunky old transport bike from Leusden to Achterveld to show the progress. And after that I shot some of the nonexistent cycle provision in the village of Achterveld. This is something that really needs improving.
Btw this all took much longer than necessary, for I have been way too busy with other things…
I guess the phrase stop and smell the roses has become cycle, do not stop and smell the roses.
I also hope you don’t mind that I linked to your video on my own blog.
Of course not. I liked your blog, but it’s a bit too extensive for my limited time… Good work though!
Thanks, Koen. Quite interesting to see those shared roads in operation. What is the general experience of those? Positive or negative? Is it the level of car use that sees a bike track created?
1 cyclist per century. No not really, but demonstrates what they will do to keep cyclists safe, don’t even think of hitting someone in Dutchland, pun on what Germans call their own country, and Dutch is Germanic language. Probably more like a several thousand cyclists, and speed limits, and volume of trucks and heaviness of car traffic, and other things.