Junction design for safer cycling (Netherlands) [90]

Separate bicycle infrastructure makes traffic safer but only if it is designed right. The Netherlands has the highest percentage of trips made by bicycle and its streets are the safest in the world*. It is doing something right. Many years of experience have eliminated design flaws in cycle infrastructure and the high use of it has resulted in a type of design that has proven to be much safer. Other countries are now developing their own bicycle infrastructure and could make good use of the expertise the Netherlands obtained over decades.

In this video a closer look at the design of large junctions with separate bicycle paths. The position of waiting cyclists: in view of drivers, the way green cycles work, and the separation of types of traffic also on the junction itself, make all the difference.

see blog http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/junction-design-for-safer-cycling-netherlands/

* See: http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2009/05/worlds-safest-roads.html

people opposing separate cycling for structure often argue that separate psychopaths are dangerous when it comes to crossing out of traffic on junctions in the Netherlands this is not true it has the safest streets in the world even though it also has the highest number of vulnerable cyclists so what is different about Dutch junctions when we look at Junction design this becomes clear a typical junction without any cycle provisions will look like this the most hazardous action for any traffic is to make a left turn a car will turn left like this but the cyclist will have to cross two lanes of traffic first traffic that approaches from behind so looking over the shoulder is necessary this is a particularly dangerous thing to do in left driving countries this is the case for white turns and we can see how unclear and dangerous the situation on this Junction in London becomes when just two cyclists make such a turn hoping to make junctions safer some countries started to paint cycle lanes on them examples can be found in Denmark in Germany and recently on London’s cycles superhighways but does this really make a Junction safer the cyclists still has to share the road and has a conflict with right turning cars the left turning cyclist is then expected to wait in a corner of the junction until it is clear of motorized traffic the waiting area is not shielded in any way making this way to potentially dangerous cyclists can only continue to turn when the lives have changed to green for the other direction thus creating an extra conflict with cars will turn right from that other direction this is not the solution the Dutch prefer a typical junction in the Netherlands looks like this note that the separate cycle paths also exist on the junction itself this gives the cyclist a protected waiting area for crossing the path of motorised traffic and also a completely free right turn the waiting area for the cyclist is very advanced so always in good view of turning cars cyclists have their own traffic light that has a different green cycle from right turning cars this eliminates that conflict hugely the green light is combined with the green cycle for left turning cars so the cyclist can make the full left turn all at once if cyclists do have to wait they are shielded from motorized traffic by the traffic islands in every corner of the junction it is provisions like these that make cycling in the Netherlands safer than anywhere else in the world