Skip to Content
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Biking a Dutch Cycle Superhighway

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.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog San Francisco

Letter to Readers: Happy Holidays and Thoughts on the Year’s Takeaways

2024 will be remembered as a seminal year for San Francisco streets

December 21, 2024

Remembering Another Person Killed by Traffic Engineers and Politicians

If there isn't money to make a project safe for everyone, regardless of how they get around, then there isn't enough money to build it. Period.

December 19, 2024
See all posts