Biking a Dutch Cycle Superhighway

It's no secret that the Dutch have the best bicycle infrastructure on Earth. And it keeps getting better. I recently got to ride the Arnhem-Nijmegen Cycle Superhighway. Imagine being able to bike 11 miles between two downtowns and not have to stop once for cars -- that's what the superhighway provides.

By Clarence Eckerson Jr.

12:59 PM PDT on June 20, 2017

A proper bike lane, on a proper street... so far, there are no plans to bring anything like this kind of infrastructure to unincorporated Alameda. Nijmegen. Photo: Bicycle Dutch

It’s no secret that the Dutch have the best bicycle infrastructure on Earth. And it keeps getting better.

While attending the Velo-city 2017 conference in the Netherlands, I got to ride the Arnhem-Nijmegen Cycle Superhighway. Imagine being able to bike 11 miles between two downtowns and not have to stop once for cars — that is what the superhighway provides.

The Arnhem-Nijmegen route is one of a few cycle superhighways in the region. I brought my camera along on one group ride and got to chat with Sjors van Duren, the program director for Velo-city 2017, about what makes it attractive compared to car travel.

Interestingly, there was already a bike route between the cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen when the cycle superhighway was built. It’s perfectly safe and usable — a stellar piece of infrastructure that I would welcome with open arms here in NYC. But it has several junctions where you need to come to a full stop. That’s where the cycle superhighway comes in.

So watch this Streetfilm and get the tour. By the time it’s over you’ll want a cycle superhighway for your hometown.

Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Clarence Eckerson Jr. is the Director of Video Production for NYCSR's StreetFilms and producer of bikeTV. He loves the color purple, chocolate chip cookies, and enjoys walking, biking, and taking transit. He has never owned a driver's license.

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