This morning one of my friends posted a link to an article that got me thinking.
The article lays out the problems with cycling in The Netherlands’ third and most central city Utrecht. The city is working on major infrastructure projects in the city centre and train station area, forcing it to close some of the busiest cycling routes. 90,000 people cycle into the city centre every day, so naturally any closures will have an effect.
What struck me about this article is that there were common themes – things people in ‘cycling paradise’ complain about are similar to what we in less fortunate areas complain about. The article speaks to a number of parents who cycle into the city with their children. One parent suggests that the whole situation has been dreamt up by someone at a desk who has never cycled around the area during rush hour, and certainly not with two children under the age of ten. The incredible volume of cyclists and other vehicles, although segregated, creates an obstacle course that can be rather daunting for young children.
I was particularly interested in what the parents said about road users (cyclists, pedestrians and drivers alike) becoming more and more concerned with themselves. A dad talks about teaching his daughter to always follow the rules, but at the same time be prepared others may not. A mother tells of her daughter nearly getting knocked over while crossing at a green light and the perpetrator shouting “you should also look to the left!” (the rule is you should give way to road users coming from the right). It’s like at some point in recent years, being nice and considerate went out of fashion.
(Meanwhile, the rep from the project team in charge of the station area improvements explains that any interim solutions would require significant investment which cannot be justified for a temporary situation – we’re talking over a decade here – and cycling behaviour cannot be changed by the council of course, so the authority’s hands are tied.)
The article mentions delivery lorries parking on cycle lanes (“with the tailgate open at head height” or “slowly reversing against the flow of cycling traffic”), proximity to bus lanes and continually hardening attitudes of road users. Car doors being flung open, pedestrians stepping into the cycle path without looking, authorities unable to act…
Why, it’s biking bug bear bingo!
