The town of Houten is the current titleholder in the biennial election of the “best place to cycle in the Netherlands”. The town won the election organised by the Cyclists’ Union earlier this year and in 2008 as well. In … Continue reading Meanwhile in the town of Houten
Half an hour after the railways announced it wasn’t certain the trains would go riding again after the storm last Thursday and that it would be wise to seek alternative transportation, I was on my bike to ride the 55 … Continue reading An unexpected 55-kilometre-long evening ride
The municipality of Houten has been awarded the honourable title of Cycling City 2018! This was announced by Stientje van Veldhoven, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management on a cycle congress in Utrecht. Houten has won this title before, … Continue reading Houten: Cycling City of the Netherlands 2018
Houten is one of the often-chosen destinations when people visit the Netherlands to learn more about cycling in this country. A right choice, Houten is a great little town to experience a cycling friendly environment for yourself. In recent weeks, … Continue reading Houten in the rain
This week I have guided two cycle tours in and around Utrecht. One group with policy makers and politicians from Bavaria and one with students from the university of Platteville-Wisconsin. It felt really rewarding to lead these groups to places … Continue reading The Freedom of Cycling
A cycle bridge opened by the director of the Tour de France, Nieuwegein is the lucky town to have one. Christian Prudhomme cycled at the head of a peloton of school children, that he had shot away with a ship’s … Continue reading New cycle bridge at Nieuwegein
After the look at home parking earlier last month, we now look at the busier areas of many Dutch cities again. Especially around the shopping areas in the city centres and near the railway stations the number of parked bicycles … Continue reading Modern indoor bicycle parking facilities
In my ongoing series about safer junctions I have covered Dutch junction design and how it differs from that of other countries. I then showed you that the Dutch have now discovered that urban roundabouts are safer than cross roads junctions when they are built to a specific design and give cyclists priority. As stated in that story the first modern roundabout with priority for cyclists was in Enschede and as it turns out Fietsberaad has a file with a lot of background information about this good practice example. So could it be any safer? Yes, multi level solutions (grade … Continue reading Grade separated roundabout – the safest solution for a junction
Houten, “Cycling city 2008” in the Netherlands, celebrated the official opening of two railway stations, a work of art and -by opening a giant bicycle wheel lock- the grand bicycle parking facility under the main railway station, with a town wide party on Saturday 16th April 2011. In this video: first the celebrations then a better look at the bike parking facility (There is also a version without the celebrations). The bicycle parking facility for over 3,000 bicycles is located directly under the railway tracks and platforms. The bicycles are not hidden in some dark cellar in a distant corner … Continue reading Houten celebrates cycling
A cyclist in the Netherlands can usually follow a more direct route through cities than motorized traffic can. This so-called ‘unbundling’or sometimes also ‘unravelling’ of modes is one more reason that makes cycling more attractive. In cities and neighborhoods built … Continue reading Direct Cycle Routes in the Netherlands
In Dutch cycle infrastructure major intersections were created in different ways in the past. First we see a major intersection from the 1960s in Utrecht. Two roads with 2×2 lanes and separated cycle paths on all 4 sides meet. Shown … Continue reading Cycling and big intersections in the Netherlands
Second part of the ride from ‘s-Hertogenbosch to Utrecht. This part was cycled three months after the first part and it was now full blown spring. There were more cyclists on the paths, it was much nicer weather and nature … Continue reading Cycling from Geldermalsen to Utrecht, Netherlands
BICYCLE DUTCH 