[Ep. 1000] My 1000th video; the upgraded former ring road of Utrecht in the Netherlands is now much more attractive to people. It has more space for active mobility and a lot of new greenery. Car drivers retained only half the travel lanes they used to have. More information in the blog post: https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/?p=23874
49 Comments
In theory these changes are nice, but as someone who lives there let me tell you: it’s a disaster for people who live there and have jobs in other cities, there are no good roads out of the city anymore. You just need to sit in traffic so much longer 😭
Looking very forward to study here!
Good stuff.
I have seen some improvements in Cambridge with roundabouts implementing a similar idea but not as neatly executed as in Utrecht.
a single traffic light on the main street, I love the idea
I recognise many of these roads as I used them to commute to work. It’s so nice to see Utrecht improving so much so quickly 🧡
so jealous on those fantastic road designs, greetings from zurich
This transformation is indescribably better. It changed the whole feel of the road. Imagine how beautiful it's going to be in 30 years when those trees mature. All of those houses just skyrocketed in both financial and real value
Way forward 👍
This is actually amazing. I wish more countries around the world will adapt more pedestrian-friendly infrastructures and greenery.
I drove through there last Sunday (somehow my GPS didn't agree that it was faster to take the motorway). I love how Dutch engineers design the road to be driven at the right speed limit. 50km/h on that road is more than enough. The only thing that disturb me was the lack of priority for pedestrians at crossings (like in 1:51). As someone who is used to giving way to pedestrians at crossings, a doubt came to me whether to stop or not when people were standing there.
The Netherlands should be an example to all countries. Paradoxally, designing cities this way not only makes it better for people cycling or taking public transport, it also makes it better for the remaining people who take the car, as car traffic gets significantly reduced.
Huge, huge improvement! I know these roads since decades. Unpleasant to drive on, hideous to look at.
And look at it now. Some people somewhere are making some very nice decisions.
Mark, those detection loops at the intersection of the Amsterdamsestraatweg and St Josephlaan/Marnixlaan don't work. You have to push the button. And don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I live on the Amsterdamsestraatweg and I cross this intersection multiple times per week. They haven't worked since the redesign last year.
Awesome how dutch use their cars so little, but thats also because the country is compact and have an easy terrain
All cities and villages should be like that! Wow.
If you spend even a little time in somewhere like Utrecht, it really changes your perspective about what's possible. Less noise, cleaner air, thriving small businesses. The craziness of letting cars rule the streets sets in.
We need cities built for people. Not machines! Public space belongs to us all.
Thank you so much. I wish Berlin would be as progressive, as the Netherlands!
That's fantastic! Back when I was looking for apartments I always had to avoid ring road areas due to the road noise and pollution, so reducing speed and frequency of traffic would have made me consider those places.
Cyclists belong on their own road. Otherwise, they’ll claim one as their own anyway.
Hold on – “less room for cars. More room for public transport.” Uhh, less room for passengers vehicles…more room for passengers vehicles? What kind of euphemism is that? I do like more green though.
Cool! They converted a highway into a boulevard. However it is a much better through street than it was. The traffic is still there it is just much better dispersed. Naturally walking and biking are more pleasent.
I wish they did this in Leuven. The Tervuursevest desperately needs more space for people and green. It was overbuilt and the Tervuursepoort intersection can't handle more than one lane worth of traffic anyways. Too bad that major roadworks where they also change the shape and look of a road are very rare in Belgium. They did a good job with the Martelarenlaan though.
The traffic light staggered back for motor traffic so that it's only necessary for constant flows of motor traffic is excellent. So often when you talk about removing traffic lights it's treated as an all-or-nothing issue.
Oh 1000, congrats🎉🚲 It looks like more traffic but flowing and not congested.
Horrible design and I have a pretty good idea which external bureau pushed this. No space to create room for emergency vehicles, especially during rush hour. Dual direction bike paths are an absolute disaster for visibility, in particular for truck drivers who have absolutely no intention of running over cyclists but are frequently confronted with literal kamikazes. Traffic lights are proven more safe than "creative" roundabouts, with prominent example the Delflandplein in Delft that was designed by that same bureau and in its first year counted more casualties already than it had during ten years before when it was still a crossing with traffic lights. Ten years later it is still counting in about the same rate as none of the later modifications had any effect due to the planners being unwilling to acknowledge that the problem lies in their conceptual design and all this time their efforts were targetted at "educating" road users to understand their intentions.
Goed bezig, Utrecht 😀
Huge improvement to the previous traffic situation.
I lived in this area 25 years ago while studying. The traffic situation for cyclists and pedestrians was very unpleasant, noisy, and very car centric. It is a great improvement to see the change on the Marnixlaan, Josephlaan and Cartesiusweg. No more road races that end up killing innocent road users like happened in the past.
Great video yet again Mark. A thousand videos is huge, and with it you changed countless lifes for the better and helped to achieve real infrastructural change in many places. Such an achievement by you!🎉
Improvements such as these are a direct result of vision and leadership. Unlike, the situation in my jurisdiction🙄
Good example of infrastructure guiding behavior rather than infrustructure reflecting erroneous concepts of need. The lanes were reduced in number and made narrower. Traffic/driving behavor changed for the better. Nice exposition here.
Wonderful. Just one thing… they should have made the streetlights prettier.
OpenStreetMap's a do-ocracy: better to fix it than complain. But you can't monetize that.
It is better for drivers too it seems, congestion isn't higher, looks like it works.
This is absolutely incredible work – from both the city and yourself!
I wonder how the Dutch deal with the "war on drivers" mentality that we are increasingly seeing elsewhere? I've seen videos including such conflicts there in the 1970s when they were just starting on the path promoting active travel above private car use, but are there still backlashes now, like there are in the UK from a loud minority over things like Low Traffic Neighborhoods and cycle/pedestrian infrastructure? Or is it mostly accepted that these are positive developments for most people now?
Congratulations on hitting 1000 videos. Can I just say what good quality videos they are too, and so useful for those of us in less developed nations to pass round as examples of what can be done with right will, inspiration and funding available.
Gefeliciteerd Mark!
Wellicht eentje over fietsen met de hond?(paard, poes, papegaai etc.)
Traffic actually flows better with new current design.
Little note for non-Dutch people.
At 1:52 those cyclists should not be there.
Doesn't really matter, as the cars have priority anyway indicated by the triangles.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I live very close, it's really a big upgrade!
Now I hope the Amsterdamsestraatweg will soon undergo it's planned transformation. That really needs better cycle paths.
Clearly
I'm gonna make it my mission to induce dutch street design in my city, Linz. Currently, things are not looking up, sadly…
As much as I love driving, this is the future and I wish more countries and cities would adopt a similar approach
when they did this here, the city started to die, since no one wants to go to the stores in the city anymore, and went to the big city malls outside the city instead.
I used to live on the Joseph Haydnlaan. When I just moved there, in 1991, plans were to widen the car lanes on the cost of space for green areas and pedestrians. I am so happy the city reversed this policy
I once lived and worked in Utrecht – (73 to 77) – Degical Equipment Corporation – – / DEC / – So I was interested in what you intended to say about the place – Unfortunately your voice is rather very low – so I had to give up – But thanks anyway – Give my best regards to all tyhe people that I once knew ( Rob gave me a Gitaar – his girlfriend took care when I was ill On my way to work at the – / UITHOF / – two eggs with bacon for breakfast once each week – I stayed at the hotel in the center of Utrecht (opposite the Post Office) – I use to buy my cameras from a shop opposite the hotel – I met Prins Claus at the De Pan Golf Club – all a long time ago but still interesting and pleasant memories
I understand these changes benefit traffic in the city. However, as someone who often travels to Utrecht by car (no viable alternative, unfortunately) for business visits, I see a big rise in traffic on the highways around the city. The result: these will be widened and Amelisweerd will suffer the consequences. Changes to a roadnetwork should never be viewed on their own.
15 minutes city. globalists laugh from their expensive cars
Man, I'm just so envious!
Cries quietly in USA…