Numbered Junction Cycling Network

[705] The Dutch speaking part of Belgium and the Netherlands* have a unique wayfinding system for recreational cycing with numbered junctions (in Dutch Knooppuntennetwerk). How does it work?
* Also in parts of Germany. More information in the blog post: https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2019/09/25/the-numbered-junction-network-for-recreational-cycling/

The Dutch like to cycle for any reason and certainly also for recreation. You could plan a tour on a map, but that is not really necessary. You can follow the wayfinding signs to the next village, but then you have to remember all these sometimes unfamiliar names. The long-distance cycle routes are perfect for a longer holiday. For a day trip you could follow one of the signed bicycle routes… that have themes related to painters, a siege, World War II, or that just takes you through a national park. If you want more flexibility, you can easily plot your own route in the Netherlands and Belgium. For that we have the Numbered Junction Network. A network that connects junctions each with their own number… and with clear signs pointing to them. This network connects towns and villages… and nature reserves. You can plan your own route at home on a map or in the computer. You pick a starting point… and click on the next point that you would want to go to. It doesn’t have to be the next one. If the point is several numbered junctions away, the computer will automatically connect the dots for you… and you have plotted your own personal route. You can print it out, cut it out… and use it on your crossbar of your bicycle. But there are other solutions you can fix to your handlebars. You follow the signs to the next numbered Junction… and when you approach it, a sign will tell you that. From that numbered junction you can then follow signs… to the following one on your list. At every numbered intersection there is an information sign with a map. You could even adjust your route, shorten it if you’re running late… or make it longer when the day is nice. The network is a Belgian invention. It was introduced in the Belgian province of Limburg in 1995. From there it’s spread across the rest of Flanders… and to the neighboring Dutch province of Limburg. Where the first signs appeared in 1999. Slowly spreading across the rest of the Netherlands, the network had a nationwide coverage in 2014.