David HembrowJan 22, 2023
Today's recreational ride.
It was a cold day from the start. Not the coldest that we've had, there was only partial ice on the canal, but there was no sun and a Northerly wind brought even more cold. Anyway, I set off to meet some others and ride to Groningen.
https://www.dutchbikebits.com
#Regel17 #Velomobile #WinterCycling #Netherlands #cycling #bicycle
Dutch Bike Bits

Tried and trusted parts for Dutch Bicycles, or bicycles that would like to be a bit more Dutch.

Show threadDavid HembrowJan 22, 2023
Just out of Assen I saw a tractor charging along the cycle-path on the other side of the road, spreading salt on the cycle-path. It crossed and followed me for a bit but the driver clearly wanted to go faster than I was cycling so I pulled over and let him pass.
This is a single-direction cycle-path of 2.5 m width (the one on the other side is the same width). It's a really good thing that cycle-paths are built wide enough that full sized snow ploughs and gritters can travel along them.
#Regel17 #Velomobile #Gritting #WinterCycling #Fietspad #CyclePath
Show threadDavid HembrowJan 22, 2023
We used quite a lot of the still not finished fietssnelweg between Assen and Groningen for the outbound journey. This is a wide fast and direct cycling route between the two cities, paralleling the older route as seen in the photos above. It's been under construction for a few years now - I wish they'd finish all of it.
Anyway, the horses turned out to be on the other side of the canal, which is just as well as horses are scared of velomobiles. The asphalt section of the fietssnelweg is a fietsstraat. i.e. local motor traffic to access farms and other properties along this rural route is allowed here but the drivers are supposed to behave themselves around cyclists. I'm not 100% convinced that this works. The concrete part is closer to Groningen and is only for bicycles, but unfortunately it's built of annoying sections with small bumps in between. Not a great choice (and happily not common in NL). The sculpture on the left celebrates gas production in Groningen. The motorway on the right enables driving of cars. We're in the middle on the less good infrastructure.
Do better, Groningen !
#Regel17 #Velomobile #Cycling #WinterCycling #FietsSnelWeg
Show threadDavid HembrowJan 22, 2023

A few photos in Groningen. First a too narrow cycle-path, then a roundabout type of structure which prioritizes buses over bikes and then one of the central shopping streets, where there are always lots of bikes. I think many people from other places don't realise how little of Groningen actually looks like that. It's really only a few streets in the centre.

As for widths: For comfortable and convenient cycling, a single direction cycle-path really shouldn't be much less than 2.5 m in width, and bidirectional cycle-paths not much under 4 m. Very rarely used rural paths can be OK when they're narrower, but in cities and where they'll be busy they need to be wider yet. I've written a bit about this in the past:
https://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/search/label/width

#Groningen #Cycling #WinterCycling #Velomobile #Regel17

A view from the cycle path

Why is it that people cycle more in the Netherlands than in any other country ? The answer is in the infrastructure. Long established blog with content up to the present day detailing how the infrastructure of the Netherlands makes cycling so pleasant that almost everyone cycles in this country and a higher proportion of cycle journeys are made here than anywhere else

Show threadMaikeJan 22, 2023
@hembrow Wow! Did you build those velomobiles yourself? Are they considered bikes in the Netherlands? I sometimes see one here in northern Germany, but always on the road, not on the bike lane.
Show threadDavid Hembrow
@maikek These are all commercial models, though I did sorry of het to build mine myself as I worked alongside the rider of the kuifjesraket for the manufacturer. The Milan is a German model.
I think velomobiles are considered to be bicycles everywhere. They're human powered after all.
We use both cyclepaths and roads depending on on other traffic and what what is most suitable. Most of the cyclepaths around here are entirely suitable so that's where I spend most of my time. Unfortunately, in some places (including just over the border in Germany, I'm afraid) the cyclepaths aren't up to much and then I ride on the road.
Jan 22, 2023 at 4:55pmWeb
Show threadMaikeJan 22, 2023
@hembrow maybe thats why I see them on the roads only, i think i would rather visit the dentist than use one on most of our bike lanes. Kuifjesraket 😉, does that name mean a rocket on ice skates?
Show threadDavid HembrowJan 22, 2023
@maikek It's supposed to look like this ;-)
Show threadMaikeJan 22, 2023
@hembrow Ahhh ... 👍