Is Cycling Really Bad in Wageningen? Exploring the Town’s Bike Culture.

[@steemlenn8797]

I can hear the pain of those thinking "In my town his bad examples would be considered outstanding infrastructure."

[@charlienyc1]

= All of us in North America

[@ommyvalentine]

I'm British but my mother is Dutch and I visit my grandparents at their village in Gelderland often. We go to Wageningen for shopping and transport connections. I always thought the infrastructure was great so seeing this video is quite funny. It shows how low my standards are as a Brit lol. Very illuminating video for me and I hope these corrections are made soon

[@geoffersmaher]

i moved from london to delft, and yeah everytime i go back my mind is blown how i thought london cycling was fine haha

[@SamueleBesoli]

Hahaha me too, as an italian this would be a dream 😅

[@claudevieaul1465]

I've lived in London (Barking / Dagenham) and cycled a fair bit into the City regularly. Even though I had to get used to traffic on the left side of the road, it was quite easy to get around. Main reason, I think, is that I always look around me, to be aware of others, plus I do tend do cycle pretty quick - following the average speed in the streets, rather than (as I've seen happen a lot) as slow as possible but most definitely in the middle of your lane... I found it's the same everywhere: Everyone's trying to get somewhere in time, so don't be a dickhead on the road by making life harder for others 😜👍

[@Boyjo1]

I commute the street with the "children crossing" sign daily. I thought it was insane that when they built the school all they did was place some lines and add a sign... It's also a 50kmph street, insanity. Accident waiting to happen.

[@peterf1]

This American, with relatives in Ede, who has cycled to Wageningen totally understands the "from an outsiders perspective" as it does indeed seem quite good. But your keen observations are very valid and hopefully Wageningen listens. With so many students from around the world in the area, it would be especially good if the bicycle network would be a real showcase of how very good Dutch cycling can be.

[@girlanimelover]

I've lived here for 7 years and what striked me as odd was when they changed the Churchillweg to a car road and bike road to only one road for bikes and cars. It feels now super unsafe to cycle there whenever I'm in Wageningen. And indeed, its quite easy to park your car near the city centre, while finding a spot for your bike is difficult. The most important road for cars is actually the road to get in- and outside of Wageningen, as there are always massive traffic jams during weekdays in the morning. My main hurdle when living in this city (town) has been the lack of public transport. There aren't any plans to get a railway back again in Wageningen (which was there in the 70s, but demolished), as the amount of people that would not use the car road, would then be able to take public transport. Whenever I go back I take the bus, but the buses are just so-so (at some point they ride once every half an hour in the evening or they don't even appear at all while the app states they do). If I go further from the busstation to somewhere else in the town I can rent a bike at busstation, but the bike-rent is a complete pain-in-the-ass as the app works barely. Plus there are maybe 7? bikes available which aren't broken already. It would do the town good if they invest in public transport. It would bring down the car-use as well as it feels like a necessity sometimes.

[@TheNillaa]

As someone from a different province it always seemed weird to me that a town with such a prominent university doesn’t have a train station. Not that cycling from Ede to Wageningen campus is that big of a trip but still.

[@Herrlen]

​@@TheNillaaI am a landscape designer recently graduated from WUR. During many of my courses, mostly during my bsc, we've discussed the lack of proper PT from and to Wageningen and thought of potential solutions. Fact is that the options to (re)connect Wageningen with the surrounding cities and train stations are very limited, spatially-wise, considering the city's adjacency to the Rhine, Veluwe, agricultural fields, and the Binnenveld (protected area with high ecological value). In its current state, the recently improved bus lines are the best option. A new train network might be deemed not feasible when considering the frequent bus departures and the severe lack of space. A complete transformation of the N781 might work in the far future, but would require many drastic changes over a long time for a car road of such importance regarding Wageningen's accessibility

[@bassuverkropp1525]

The railway to Wageningen was last used for passenger transport in 1937.

[@claudevieaul1465]

I was born in Wageningen, 1965, and never ever saw a train there - unless you count model trains.

[@enzosaraiva5810]

Im a student at currently at Wageningen university. Being an outsider the cycle network doesnt look bad at all, but in comparison with other dutch cities you pointed out really good points! During my 2year stay in the city i have seen many improvements but still much to do!! Unfortunately in front of my building goes one of those main car centric streets you mentioned in the video, in which last year one uniservity student girl died in a car accident while commuting!!!!! This is why these discussions, and further improvements are always necessary for progress!

[@thehumandecoy6774]

In the last few years there was a big improvement in the main commute of everyone living around the Haarweg with the conversion of the Van Uvenweg to a bicycle street. The main issue with is the Nijenoord allee where the first year student died at a bike crossing next to hoevenstijn. almost every student that comes by bike must cross this busy road, in my opinoin the speed limit should be decreased to 30 on this road, enforced by cameras and some bumps.

[@diwhy5096]

@@thehumandecoy6774 no the city made this stupid crossing the only thing they did was that the cyclist now hass to much speed and cant see shit, the old crossing was much safer

[@cedartreeworkshop]

Love to hear this. As an American living in a suburb with deep car centric culture, I’m always impressed by how European countries not only have superior cycle and pedestrian infrastructure, but that they don’t stop there and continue to improve it further. Keep up the good work!

[@MarijnRoorda]

That's not what this video was about... You might not have heard it in his voice, but to a dutchmen's ears it was a scorching burn for the city being absolute crap!

[@coldpen9880]

That standard of quality mainly applies to Dutch bike infrastructure. Other European countries fall far behind, with a few city-wide exceptions imo

[@cedartreeworkshop]

@@MarijnRoorda I heard that loud and clear. You missed my point - it's wonderful that it's even a conversation in that part of the world. Here in the US, it's out of the question for the vast majority of our country. The US is the new Third World.

[@rogink]

@@MarijnRoorda You missed the bit at the end. He's - tentatively - optimistic.

[@evdweide]

Great video! As an inhabitant of nearby Ede and frequent visitor to Wageningen, I fully agree with your assessment.

[@nomurLethalmud]

Off course, you stole their train station. And the main reason anyone lives in Ede is because it is close to the snelweg.

[@theoldfelix]

ede is genuinely so much worse for cycling though

[@Sprietje222]

Wageningen is a town without a railroad station. But there is an university and lots of companies that attract those students. Which means there are a lot of people from outside Wageningen commuting to it. The public transportation in Wageningen is really terrible. I'm 31 and my whole life have lived here. Almost anywhere you want to go you have to take the car, or it takes more than 1 hour and bad connections with public transport. The new fietsstraten on the Churchillweg and the van Uvenweg seem great, but I'm not sure about them. On these channels people are always enthusiastic about the fietstraat, but in reality, at least in Wageningen, cars are driving between cyclists. Usually this is faster than is allowed, which makes it dangerous. Wageningen should do something about public transport. They can't themselves, the Province of Gelderland should, together with het Rijk maybe. A metroline from the train station of Ede-Wageningen to the university and the city centre. Or a railway from Veenendaal through the Binnenveld to the west of Wageningen and the city centre. I know nature is in the way, but it's way better to have a new railroad build there than to make Wageningen better only for cars. We'll see what happens in the future, but I'm not sure they can change it for the better. Thank you for the video, it was interesting to see your perspective on it.

[@DexJedi]

I don't get it. It is the most prominent student city in the region. It should be bike focused.

[@daaaaaaaaaaavid]

It has an agricultural/rural history, not at all progressive. The progressive part came in the last few decades, and because of the municipality’s constant struggles with its finances, I could understand why the infrastructure is still lacking even though they might have grand ideas

[@EvilTurtle97]

The most prominent student city in the region would be Utrecht, its less than an hour from Utrecht central to Wageningen university with public transport. Quite a few of my student friends live in Utrecht but study in Wageningen. Wageningen is generally known here as a super boring city to study, they just happen to have one of the top agricultural universities in the world which makes them desirable.

[@DexJedi]

@EvilTurtle97 almost anything interesting is within an hour in this country. Except maybe Eindhoven. My point remains that you would expect a town with a prominent university to double down on bike infrastructure, as it is an important way of transportation for students. Especially compared to Veenendaal.

[@ian4683]

​@@EvilTurtle97 I wouldn't go as far as to say Wageningen is a borig town/city to study. Ofcourse that is how the "Randstedelingen" think about it. In my opninion you sould only live in Utrecht when studying in Wageningen out of necessity. Living one hour away from University really disconnects you from the student live there.

[@JaNouWatIkVind]

Wagening university campus is in the middle of our country. It’s a mere 57 km from where I live and would take me about an hour to drive there. However, by public transport, it would take 2:40 hours. That means it is basically out of the question to study there. In the middle of the country, close to Utrecht, but nevertheless “en el culo del mundo”.

[@jantatousek]

I love this description. I live in Arnhem and Wageningen seems like the end of the world to me. It's not really that far, but a big part of it is perception. Having to do a long bus ride is unattractive compared to a good rail connection. Cities this size without a trainstation (Wageningen, Oosterhout, Drachten, Emmeloord) are very unfortunate.

[@Josukegaming]

​@@jantatousekagreed! It's crazy that a town half that size without any university or anything, Culemborg, has its own train station yet Wageningen doesn't.

[@Skroopy]

Yea the accessibility is shit. My hometown is in Twente. It takes 1.5 hours to drive to Wageningen but public transport takes over 3 hours. Hell, my hometown (Vroomshoop) with a population of ~9400 has its own train station.

[@nyb2.027]

@@jantatousekThe good news is that Emmeloord and Drachten will at least get a train station once the Lelylijn comes around. The other two cities you mentioned aren’t that lucky, unfortunately…

[@ikendusnietjij2]

The 50km/h at Marijkeweg truly makes no sense. Especially with the school and construction site creating two 30km/h sections, which between them have a tiny 50km/h strip that it seems drivers see as a requirement to hit the 50 on. Worse is that many don't even seem to stay at 30 for the sections that require it. There is no reason for the Marijkeweg to have 50km/h anyways. East-West traffic with Lawickse Allee and Nijenoord Allee splits the city up a lot. The intersection of Nijenoord Allee with Churchillweg sees a lot of bikes waiting for a traffic light, letting the cars take a tunnel would help bikes too. However it does seem crazy that these expensive changes are put forth rather than cheaper improvements to bike infrastructure. The Rooseveltweg and Churchillweg simply don't have to be big roads. Churchillweg seems to have proper changes and Rooseveltweg is harder to change due to the layout, but all intersections of Rooseveltweg should prioritise all-direction bike and foot infrastructure. All in all, confident cyclists can find a route between all destinations, but it shouldn't rely quite as much on the confidence of the cyclist.

[@theyeti6258]

As a resident of Wageningen, I feel like it's very accessible for bikes, with the exception of some crossings that are either dangerous or often congest. However it isn't accessible for pedestrians at all. I've had to walk to campus for a while and some places really don't have any sidewalks.

[@ojassarup258]

Wageningen! I lived there for a few years (2016-19), still one of my favourite places to have lived and cycled. Interesting to see the criticisms now, and I agree with them. But it's funny that as a non-Dutch person, in my mind it stands above cycling infra anywhere else I've been outside of NL (and I've been to a fair few places). Thanks for the video, I've waited years to see someone cover the town!

[@ItsASuckyName]

I grew up in Ede, I remember the jokes between the two towns. " what is blue and goes back in time?...the bus to Ede". We always replied that Wageningen did not even invent trains yet. The train station in Ede is called Ede-Wageningen, because you have to take the bus from there to get to Wageningen.

[@mindstalk]

"the bus to Ede" Lol!

[@whoeveriam0iam14222]

I commmute daily between Ede and Wageningen and I completely agree with this video the average speed I get in the car is 30kmh but it's still the fastest way to get to work going by bicycle would be just as far but take a lot more energy and take 45 minutes when I'm stuck in car traffic on the big road into Wageningen I can see the bus drive past me but I know that taking the bus is just as slow as going by bicycle because I don't work at the bus station

[@InonoYazy]

Its great that you pick up on such important topics. Even in the Netherlands Netherlands i still see a lot of car parking 'fields' in the towns.

[@pedrosampaio7349]

I joke about having a bad time when I was living in Wageningen, but one thing that really did shock me was the presence of car accidents and deaths. For someone like me moving in from within the Netherlands, it's almost ominous seeing the little memorials for car crash victims on the patches of grass, might have been the second thriugh sixth time I saw such in the Netherlands. We even had a student die in a car crash last year. Also, the nearest treinstation just being Ede central, >=30 minutes by bus, being renamed to "Ede-Wageningen" is some kind of malicious joke, it just has to.

[@AMacProOwner]

Feels weird to see all these fantastic individual features for bikes used to make sure drivers can drive with more ease.

[@Tiemewitte]

Not sure what exactly you mean by drivers in the second part of your sentence, but I assume car drivers. And if so, you touched on a point not enough people seem to understand, which is: Investing in bicycle infrastructure and public transit means that fewer people will choose the car for transportation, which means fewer cars on the road, which means safer and faster driving for those who do choose or have to drive a car. If you love to drive a car you should be advocating for bicycle infrastructure just as hard as those who love to cycle. The pressure to build car infrastructure comes from the people selling the cars (and oil), who do not care how many traffic jams there are, as long as people keep buying cars (because there's not really another choice). So people in cars are miserable in traffic, and the rest are miserable because we have to deal with all the car-centric infrastructure. Luckily we are starting to get there in the Netherlands, but even here there's still a long way to go until this idea will have reached the majority of people.

[@Josukegaming]

Thank you for covering Wageningen Mark! I thought for certain such a small university town surrounded by nature would be very cycling friendly, and its quite sad that it doesn't have it's own train station and is so friendly to cars! A town half it's size Culemborg not far away has it's own train station and relatively good cycling infrastructure, helped by a good amount of non-through roads. Please cover Arnhem and other cities in Gelderland too!

[@ZoraDelaney]

Geez! This little Dutch town (which has fewer people than my neighborhood here in Chicago, USA) has WAY better cycling infrastructure 👍 than ALL of Chicago. This is despite Chicago having more than 50x the population. This would be fantasy infrastructure in my city. 😢 We are (slowly) improving though.....

[@FFalcoFalcon]

I currently live in Wageningen and am surprised at how bad many bike routes actually are (think large potholes, bumps and other 'obstacles') that I have seen nowhere else in the Netherlands

[@davidhill504]

I've been to the Netherlands 5 times now. I'm so impressed with the cycling infrastructure.I live in Milton keynes in the UK which is pretty decent but always could do better I wished the UK government would ask you over here to see what we could improve.

[@roelandriemens]

Milton Keynes, isn't that the car friendly place where drivers are allowed to drive over 300 Km/h? 🤪

[@Tomas-pr7py]

Crazy when you think how close it is to Veenendaal, which is one of the best places to cycle in the country!

[@lws7394]

And remarkable because Wageningen (with the aggro University) has a green left population and city council ...

[@daaaaaaaaaaavid]

@lws7394 The municipality is almost constantly broke, so it might not have the funds to upgrade its aging (cycling) infrastructure.

[@abacaxiveer]

Mhhh. Veenendaal is in diar need of some signs like 'centre this way' and 'industrial area Y that way'. To me, it seems exceptionally difficult to navigate for a Dutch town. I have no such issues in Arnhem, Ede, Amersfoort or Nijmegen.

[@kjh23gk]

@@lws7394 Isn't their mayor a member of the VVD?

[@lws7394]

@@kjh23gk Yes, but only since 2021. Also most policy is executed by the Council, not so much a Mayor... And roads and traffic is a long term policy. In the pas 30 years the town usually had PvdA or D66 mayors..

[@Kattbirb]

When you said that, "from a foreigner's perspective" that it would look good, you weren't kidding. Here in Washington state, we cannot even get a networked system of painted lanes for bikes. This level of infrastructure would seem idyllic by comparison.

[@kuiperrene]

Strange for a very liberal city where most people are working or studying at the university. When I studied in Wageningen in the nineties, 95% of the students (20% of the total population!) used a bike to get around. The biggest mistake is the decision to have a treinstation in Rhenen instead of Wageningen. The might have thought that Rhenen zoo had priority above a back then small agricultural university.

[@bassuverkropp1525]

Long ago, Wageningen was connected by rail to Rhenen, Ede and Arnhem. There is a reason why there is a Stationsstraat in the city center.

[@manoni75]

I live in Wageningen and it's very interesting to hear about your point of view. However, I am not a fan of the newly opened fietsstraat on Churchillweg. I especially don't think the part in front of the gas station is an improvement. In the past, as a cyclist coming from the direction of the center, you could simply cycle straight ahead and the traffic coming from Hoevestein would stop for you. Now traffic comes from all sides and it is not very clear who has priority. What do you think of the bicycle street concept? I sometimes think it's a fad that we'll regret in the future. It is not an improvement everywhere.

[@BicycleDutch]

Bicycle streets can be a good solution in the right spots under the right conditions. I agree that that location did not feel good. And I'm also not sure Wageningen drivers (who are so entitled because they are still pampered to this day) will be willing to behave like a guest around cyclists in the middle of the cycle street.

[@TheMaplestrip]

That bicycle parking area at the school actually had me exclaim "what the fuck" ^_^;

[@ian4683]

Keep in mind this is the first month that school is finished and open. Right now the kids bike parking is actually there. Edit: it looked finished when I walked past there in sunny weather, but actually this week I still saw a water pool :'(

[@michelbackus]

Good to investigate the matter. The intersection of Costerweg and Nudestraat in particular is incredibly unclear for cyclists. Even for motorists! Goed om de zaak eens door te lichten. Vooral het kruispunt van Costerweg en Nudestraat is ongelofelijk onduidelijk voor fietsers. Zelfs ook voor automobilisten!

[@Herrlen]

The video highlights some sharp criticism about the lacks of the city reg. infrastructure, mostly the abundant car roads and to-further-improve bike network. But it is important to reckon that Wageningen is in fact mainly accessible by car traffic due to the lack of better and alternative methods of public transport (the bus lines gotten some noticeable improvement with the new 303 line). Contrasting this with a city like Utrecht is not a fair comparison, considering Utrecht is a dense city located in the middle of NL and the literal middle point of the Dutch railway infrastructure.

[@jobabbink2862]

☝️🤓

[@Trazynn]

I went to school in Wageningen from a neighbouring village. Wageningen is a weird town (can't really call it a city), not just for bikers. It's situated on top of one of the largest hills in the country and everything is widely spaced.

[@nomurLethalmud]

? It's on the bottom of the hill. unless you mean the old campus? And the wageningse berg can't be the highest hill in the area. The hills near arnhem are way higher, nevermind the hills in the south.

[@severs1966]

It is both depressingly tragic, but hilarious, that the cycle infra in this place is absolutely superb and magnificent compared to the small town where I live in England. It makes me realise that England is about 50 years behind NL in creating safe cycle infra.

[@chinchillatwitch7234]

I was born in Arnhem and I studied in Wageningen. I would agree that wageningen is a car friendly city, but I also would say this kinda makes sense since it has to compete with larger villages and cities in the area. Wageningen just doesnt have loads of suburbs or neighbouring towns relying on wageningen ( this is the difference with Den Bosch who has that). My dad actually worked in Wageningen long ago. It was at a car repairshop near the bus station. The reason why it looks so bad over there is because that car repair shop/french car dealer had so many legal disputes even after my dad quit in the 1970's, I would see the partially taken down ruin around 2010. That whole area was just not great to invest in because of that building. I think they build something there now, but it took like 50 years. I share your vision about biking, but i am honestly conflicted about how Wageningen should be to prosper.

[@Skroopy]

I live in Wageningen and was about to comment it ain't that bad, but you really bring up some good points. Traffic on the Marijkeweg really should be slowed down and those disjointed bycicle paths should be connected. I also really want to see what that parking lot near the Hema would look like as a nice square.

[@Zooz.]

This looks like the 90s, so nostaligic!

[@ordinis_helenium]

Very important and correct criticism!

[@ravingcyclist624]

It seems you gave them an excellent assessment! Well done!

[@PauliusEpas]

loved this one, good remarks and educational material

[@slate613]

A s an American, the phrase "not up to cycling standards" is [sadly] odd to hear. We have many car standards, but lack severely in cycling standards, unless you count the unwritten "bikes are toys for kids" garbage.

[@udishomer5852]

The best city for cycling infrastructure in North America is considered very poor in Dutch standards. But the Netherlands is just the best in the world at this, so its a touch comparison.

[@Deckzwabber]

The same conditions apply to many smaller cities and towns that serve as regional centres for a rural area. They need to be accessible by car for the people who live in the small villages around, where public transport really isn't feasible. But this often comes at a cost of reduced spatial quality for the people who live in the small city. It can be hard for local politicians and policy makers to find the right balance.

[@danielloebl4222]

I would love it if you did a similar assessment for Amstelveen...

[@diedertspijkerboer]

I live in Wageningen and my main annoyance is having to cross traffic lights twice when going left on that provincial road. And yes, there could and should be way more bicycle parking in some places, especially at the bus station. Also, public transport to Ede, the nearest railway station is slow, there should be a fast bus service that only stops frequently in Wageningen and then goes straight to the station.

[@mdhazeldine]

This is the most Dutch thing i've heard all year, and i visited Holland this summer 😂. I guess this is why cycling is so good over there, you complain about it so much thst your councils actually do something about it! Haha.

[@VulturHS]

Great observations!

[@test40323]

wow, sharp assessments! maybe the ego takes a beating but without constructive criticisms well meaning planners can't take it to the next level. even talented athletes needs great coaches to take them to world class competition.

[@claudevieaul1465]

Cycling in Wageningen (where I live, and I do cycle a fair bit) is easy. But importantly: IF YOU KNOW AND FOLLOW RULES OF TRAFFIC.... Don't cycle with your face glued to your mobile phone. Put on your lights, front ánd back, to make sure you're visible. When going in a different direction, *indicate* beforehand. Don't jump on your bicycle with a head full of alcohol and/or drugs - traffic and drugs don't mix. Never have, never will.... It's simple: Be aware of other road users around you, whether they're on 2, 4 or more wheels. Even pedestrians. Do NOT assume you're in the right. Right of way can never be assumed, it always has to be given to you... Wageningen has many very sad and tragic plaquettes already, dedicated to those hard of thinking that really thought their head could bounce back a car. Trust me: it never does. Tragedies can happen, and sadly they still do. Don't become one of them - look out for your own safety and that of others.

[@flyguy1237]

This was cool to see your critiques and "what they could do better", thanks for sharing. Is that car on the right at 4:31 allowed to be there?

[@hendman4083]

Apart from the car parking on the wrong side of the road, there don't seem to be any signs prohibiting that car from being there.

[@flyguy1237]

@@hendman4083 Oh so it must not be on a dedicated bicycle path then.

[@09conrado]

No that looks like a parallel road or slip road, but yes, these can be used for making great cycling routes where cars are allowed for local access​@@flyguy1237

[@PM_82]

@@hendman4083 As long as there are no signs you can park at both sides of the street, because the car was parked close to a curve in the road parking at the side of the curve is the best option to pass the car there. And yes, cars can be there because it is a residential area road, with mixed use, not a bikepath.

[@hendman4083]

@@PM_82 You have to park on the righthand side of the road of the direction you were driving in, which this car is definately not doing.

[@markuserikssen]

Maybe it's because you're focusing on the more negative things in this video, but the bike infrastructure and facilities in Wageningen really seem underwhelming for Dutch standards. Good that they asked your opinion. Interesting video as well! More cities should invite you for your perspective.

[@74bish]

And yet this is so much better than most of the cycling infrastructure here in Germany.

[@James-bt9og]

Honestly, driving and cycling in Wageningen is a shit show. I think a problem is that Wageningen is so hard to reach from the rest of the country and many people need to get there (to be at the university), so they need to drive (Maybe they should have built an intercity station way back when, but that is a whole other story I guess). The gemente seem reluctant to increase car infrastructure, and rightly so, so it ends up being a nightmare. However, they also seem to not be making as much progress in bike infrastructure as you would expect for a Dutch city. They really need to build some cycle tunnels and bridges or something. When cycling through wageningen I too often find myself stuck at traffic lights. Thankafully over time I have learnt how to avoid as many as possible. I really hope that your talk and this video brings some improvement to the area as

[@shervetsel]

What I don't get is having to drive within the city (centre). Park and ride in the outskirts or you bring a folding bike (if you can afford a car, you can afford a bike, too) with you or rent one and ride inside the city.

[@bassuverkropp1525]

I've lived in Wageningen for 30 years now and while not perfect our cycling infrastructure is perfectly fine to get around, haven't owned a car since 2006.

[@oldbrokenhands]

I wish my city was even half this good (Dallas, TX), I'm currently trying to convince them to add more painted bicycle gutters, that's considered progress in these parts.

[@svuvich]

In Wageningen there is a refugee camp on the east end outskirt of the city, far away from the city center. When the camp was being built, residents of a few homes nearby asked to close the old driveway. Now that it is closed, 300 residents of this camp (+ camp staff) are forced to take 500m additional detour each way for any basic necessity. And this on top of what is already 2km distance to the closest grocery store. A friend of mine has a heart condition that doesnt allow him to do prolonged physical activity (even walking/cycling). He had to live there for 1.5 years without being able to do groceries himself. This additional distance meant all the difference to him. I tried to contact the city about it, asking them to open this driveway for pedestrians and cyclists. They gave me a meaningless formal response in the mail. I still live in nearby Ede, and I would really like to help and do something about this. But I don't know how

[@peterf1]

I have nothing to offer, so I hope my response doesn't sound trite, but speaking up for your friend is incredibly important. Best of luck to you.

[@ian4683]

East. But I agree that it is extra remote because of the only access road being on the furthest side from Wageningen. The times that I went there it seemed so unneccessarily far away.

[@svuvich]

@@ian4683 oh right. I was sleepy and messed this one up

[@KoenWarnaar-m8c]

I am sorry for your friend, but taking into consideration that a lot of people don't want that camp in Wageningen anyway, they should just move it to different place.

[@svuvich]

@@KoenWarnaar-m8c its so far from the actual city its not really in it. Camps have to be somewhere, and living even more remotely than this for extended periods of time is unbearable and damages any integration prospects. If you want to get rid of refugee camps in cities, the netherlands should start reviewing asylum applications quicker. Asylum applicants have to wait somewhere between 1.5-2 years for something that takes just a workday from an IND official. And all this time they have to live somewhere, waiting in limbo.

[@clubdjmarcus]

If a Dutchman complains about something in our country, it's usually about something that's still better than other countries' situation. The downside of having really high standards and a low bar for inconveniences...😂

[@crestas9]

Still so much better than my hometown in Germany

[@PM_82]

I lived in Wageningen for 11 years, i lived in one of the buildings along the red street @ 1.34 , That road was closed for through traffic from one direction in the past but it did not work out that well so they reversed it back to 2 way traffic.

[@kubaproszowski4279]

If this is bad cycling infrastructure by Dutch standards, this is way more then what i can imagine happening in my city 😂

[@nomurLethalmud]

As someone who grew up here, I never really noticed this. I cycled from a young age alone through wageningen. A lot of those busy car streets you mention are mostly cycle streets, because cars tend to take other routes. Wageningen is at least better for cycling than places like amsterdam, arnhem and enschede.

[@progenji6970]

Nah man, grew up in Amsterdam and now live in Wageningen. Amsterdam definitely has better infrastructure, it just also has more agressive drivers.

[@Sterredus]

As an inhabitant of Wageningen I think this video is a bit unfair on the municipality. Though I agree that there is quite a fair bit to improve there is a lot of nitpicking in this video and only shows the negative parts. On many occasions the examples shown in the video only show a small part of the picture. The point about the crossing without traffic lights doesn't tell that there are two crossings within 50m from that site with traffic lights for pedestrians and cyclists. The parking lots in the city centre are quite small and most importantly the city is working on a plan to move parking to the outskirts of the centre. They are also working on quite a few projects to strengthen the cycling infrastructure and even decrease space for cars to make that possible. The statement about the expansion of the access road is very unfair. The video does state that the provincial government decided this but forgets to mention that the city has fought against this expansion until they were overruled by the provincial government. While, as a cyclist I in general agree with the goals and ambitions of the cyclist union, they are known to be very critical. I think this gives a very one dimensional and obviously colored view of cycling in Wageningen and the efforts of the municipality to improve it.

[@KenanTurkiye]

KZbin: '' STOLEN LEGACY - BY GEORGE G. M. JAMES | AUDIO BOOK ''

[@martinr7728]

I see a lot of the same problems in Helmond. Would be interesting to see your perspective here

[@paxundpeace9970]

3:45 even worse in the mud and puddle. Riding home or sitting in class with wet shoes.

[@christill]

From a British perspective, as others have said, even the more car-friendly roads there would be a dream scenario where I live to have a bike path on both sides. I don’t really see any possibility of change. I think there’s been too much societal degradation to people’s mindsets and so on for proper bike infrastructure to even come up. It’s going to have to get to some kind of shocking crisis point before anyone wakew up about what needs to be done.

[@swecreations]

Great video!

[@stan4oburger]

Uncomfortable but still better than most Cities in carcentric Germany

[@-xnnybimb-9398]

I would kill to have this kind of city design in Houston man biking here is insane 💀

[@KaushikNSanji]

Weird seeing this in the Netherlands, and some how did not find any cargo bikes here in this video! Still looks bicycle friendly for any outsider.

[@jurjenvanderlaan8690]

Wageningen is very small and doesn't have very busy traffic, so children can cycle to school themselves, they don't need to be brought in a cargo bike.

[@Bramfly]

On the other hand compared to almost every other country this is still good bicycle infrastructure 😊

[@pizzapuntthomas]

I lived in Wageningen for 11 years and it was not very bad.

[@jakubkebukaj3384]

I wonder how would they close that earlier mentioned road to though traffic. Are turns from certain directions going to be prohibited or put a sign? Or is there another way?

[@MrBliss77]

One of the options often used is installing a modal filter. This allows all places to be reachable by car but prevents through traffic.

[@bootedbuilds]

I lived there from age 18-27, but seeing this video, I barely recognize anything. 15 years can change so much... That said, the traffic was always a bit of a problem, with a high-traffic road cutting straight through the city. Not good.

[@Gugner]

QUESTION: Presently highly relevant in Denmark: Fat Bikes. Last saturday a monster rode a fat bike contrary to the traffic direction in a secluded area, into 3 cyclists during a bike race (I won it), resulting in the 3 in hospital. One of them will not be able to walk anymore. In just one week, i have encountered 3 life endangering episode with maniacs on fat bikes (NOT bikes, BUT electrical mopeds and very dangerous by collision!) 4 days I totally crashed my aero carbon race bike into a fat bike. He had fallen ahead of me (didn’t know to ride a bike responsible…I flew 13-14 across the air…I crashed my helmet…. Presently some people are discussing how to remove these life endangering electrical mopeds. WHAT is the situation in the Netherlands? HOW are you dealing in the Netherlands with this danger? Yet another nail in the coffin of the still less and less bicycle trips in Denmark. I want to force careless politicians to remove these life endangering electrical mopeds from bike roads.

[@BicycleDutch]

They're a menace in NL too nltimes.nl/2024/03/29/dutch-cabinet-announces-ban-e-bike-fatbike-performance-modifications

[@RocRizzo]

You said in your introduction that Wageningen is very old, and was harmed during WWII. Could this be some of the reasons for your scathing assessment? As we speak, there are several projects for more bike roads. Oh, and Wageningen once had a train station, but when it was told that there would be an option to have a college or a train station, the town leaders opted for the college. Perhaps your assessment could have used just a little more research and insight.

[@Simqer]

As expected of a town that has "car" in its name.

[@olli1068]

This video caught my attention because I wonder how any Dutch city can not be bicycle friendly (looking at it with my German eyes). Now this video basically tells me, that everything, which is good for cars is bad for bicycles. You rate the bicycle friendlyness by how much parking space there is for cars. Is it really the one vehicle against the other? I admire the Netherlands for the great bicycle infrastrcture, but I always felt they made a good working combination of car- and bicycle traffic and that others can learn a lot from them.

[@BicycleDutch]

It's about balance. As you write yourself in your last sentence. Here that balance is way off in the favour of private cars who take too much of public space. No, it is not one vehicle against the other, it is about giving everyone a fair share of what is available and giving cars much less in this instance (for which there are solutions that do not mean people can no longer drive). Making Wageningen less about the car would benefit all people including those drivers that have no other choice but to drive.

[@ronrolfsen3977]

"Is it really the one vehicle against the other? " Let's take that school as an example (while what I describe might not happen there, you will hopefully get what I try to show). There is bad parking for cyclist. Plenty of parent are not going to send there kids to school on a bike. Especially combined with the rest of the infrastructure. This means more parent and kids will be in cars. It will get busy at the school (cars stopping, letting people out, etc.) and something that should be quick and easy might take way more time. Because of the amount of extra cars sending your child on a bike might be even more risky. So more parent and kids end up in a car. Meaning it gets even busier. If I understood correctly this was the only (or main) road into the neighborhood, so those cars are most likely delaying others and making their cycling option less safe and maybe even less viable. Meaning again, more cars on the road and delays even getting out of your own neighborhood. It is one of the reason you hardly see bikes in the US. People there are not more lazy then Dutch people. However the infrastructure to travel safely is not there. So they end up in traffic just to bring there kids to school or do simple stuff like getting groceries. There are just so many cars on the road that take up so much space. Often just to transport one person somewhere. As you can see such a situation is not good for anyone. More people in a car, means a worse experience for people in cars. So getting the cycling infrastructure done and safe will mean that those forced to go by car will have a better and faster experience as well. Sure in some cases they might have to drive around somewhere and drive a few kilometers more. However it still might be faster and safer then a more direct route. Good infrastructure will create a better, safer and faster experience for every mode of transport.

[@RealConstructor]

@@ronrolfsen3977Most elementary school teachers I know come to the school by car. Hardly anyone of them lives in the town they teach, especially if the town has high housing prices. The fact that the parking lot was done sooner is maybe because the teachers start the new school year one or two weeks earlier than the school kids. Don’t know if it’s true but it could be a reason. Not everything is favorable just for cars, there could be a more innocent reason.

[@shervetsel]

@@RealConstructori feel that, when choosing between kids and adults on who parks in the dirt and mud, you choose the adults. No much debate to be had, imo.

[@EvilTurtle97]

I knew Wageningen was a boring student city but damn I didn't know they were so behind the curve. Parts almost look like Belgium.

[@bart9522]

I am ashamed to be Dutch watching this.

[@TransportGeekery]

No railway station! Quite unusual for a Dutch town of this size…

[@SandroAntonucci87]

Funny thing is that compared to other countries in EU that is like a paradise 🥲

[@Jeroen_K]

I 'm sorry, I live closeby and go there by bike and by car. Contrary to what you say, the city isn't car friendly either. It's horrendous to get through and on busy hours, totally congested on the few ways in. Seems they've managed to compromise in such a way that all ways of transport aren't optimal. It's not just road layout: The traffic lights and roundabouts favor cyclists and that's a good thing, but impaired traffic flow leads to tensed situation for everybody.

[@JosuaKrause]

with that name one wonders why bikes and pedestrians are allowed at all (wagen = car; -ingen = suffix for small towns. to be more precise (from stackexchange): The suffix "-ingen" describes the affilation to a leader or a person in general. So in Sigmaringen lived the relatives of Sigmar.)

[@delftfietser]

Maybe when the city was founded, its first streets were friendly to horse drawn carts, which possibly meant streets paved with brick and not just mud (where soon there would be ruts from the cart wheels, making for a slow and bumpy journey).

[@paxundpeace9970]

This place is stilm better then 99% or cities or larger towns in the US. With some exceptions like Jersy city or carmel Indiana. Anyway better then most places in im Germany too. Paris ( and London) slowly catching up.

[@jtencaat]

Biggest problem in Wageningen is the students ignoring the traffic rules: taking priority where others have; ignoring red traffic lights, just following other cyclists like blind lemmings marching towards disaster...

[@James_smith940]

This feels like Belgium, not the Netherlands.

[@shervetsel]

As someone who'll move to Belgium because finding accommodation in NL is extremely painful, these words are confirming my worries :)

[@pineapplepizza27]

I live in the US in a very small city that is much worse for cycling than this but is considered a great place to cycle by our standards lmao

[@lizwilliams2097]

Seems like the people who make decisions really love their cars

[@Pihlalorjoone]

Your arguments are a bit simplistic. Wageningen has two unique challenges: a big university which physically moved from the centre of town towards the north, resulting in totally different traffic patterns. And the lack of a bypass road for the main-traffic. This last due to the lack of any activity of the town-counsel over at least 30 years. The province then finally stepped in and forced a solution on the city. With a bypass most car-traffic can be routed away from the centre, allowing for better bicycle paths. Veenendaal had never had any of these problems, any traffic was already passing by Veenendaal, so developing good infrastructure was far easier.

[@thehumandecoy6774]

Where do you want to reroute the traffic traveling along the N225 going from Arnhem to Rhenen? on one side there is the rhine, and on the other there is Bennekom or the main road separating the Wur from the rest of wageningen. As building 1 or 2 bridges across the rhine would be really expensive the other options would have to be considered. Routing all traffic from kievitsdel on the N782 would create problems for bennekom as well as the N781 from ede into wageningen. and the other option would be to reroute all traffic way from the centre around Wageningen as much as possible using the Nijenoord Allee and the Kortenoord allee, the problem is that this would force all the students to cross this road heading into campus. this is already a dangerous crossing, 2 years ago a first years student lost her life in a car accident.

[@nomurLethalmud]

the university never was in the city centre? It was on top of the hill.

[@Pihlalorjoone]

@@thehumandecoy6774 The solution presently choosen is via the Nijenoordallee. With the road for at least parts laying lower to separate cars and bikes/pedestrians. The original solution in the 60s was a highway in the 'uiterwaarden', from Arnhem to Rhenen. Wageningen did everything to avoid a solution, including planning the new university area in such a way that a solution was almost impossible.

[@Pihlalorjoone]

@@nomurLethalmud The university was spread in and around the centre in a lot of different buildings, with the main-building smack in the middle of the centre and concentrations of buildings east and west of the center. Now almost everything has been moved to the campus north of the city. And thus the main flow of bikes is from the whole city to the campus, whereas it used to be a very mixed flow within the city. The bikeways still largely reflect that old pattern.

[@rubenk548]

To be honest, this video is a bit too biased against cars in my opinion. Eventhough it might be a solution to reduce or divert traffic here and there and perhaps some car parks may be overkill, those should be proposed as possible solutions and not as problems in its own merit. I hoped for a focus on how the cycling infrastructure is now and how that infrastructure can be improved upon.

[@martenbreeuwer]

Wait untill you explore the "fast cycling route" from wageningen to Arnhem. In Renkum/Heelsum it turns into a big disaster...

[@SienjorQueso]

I was cycling on the Churchhillweg which is now a fietstraat (cycling street) yesterday. Cars were blasting over it going 50+ and not caring about the cyclists. Many drivers being visibly annoyed and making sketchy overtaking manoeuvres…

[@KneppaH]

Yeah same here, I feel the most unsafe when I'm cycling on a fietsstraat. The fietsstraat gives a false sense of safety.

[@shervetsel]

@@KneppaHthat's why I feel that mixing is bad, especially if cars can overtake you. Unless there are cameras to control for both speed and appropriate distance when overtaking, it feels like bad and lazy design.

[@ian4683]

Strangest thing is it used to have a curb separated bicycle path on both sides and a narrow two-way road design for cars. Being narrow it actually encouraged to drive a bit slower, while now it's just a big slab of (red) asphalt in many places.

[@SienjorQueso]

@@ian4683 maybe the idea was to discourage cars from using that particular road at all and perhaps increase response times for emergency services 🚑 🚓 🚒 (they could skip many congested roads if taking the Churchhillweg), the result however is that cars got a wider road and use it like it is a 50 road (and it being the NL people will drive 60-70 on avg on those). Maybe that was even the plan in disguise, or maybe I’m just being cynical….

[@bramilan]

My wife stayed a year in Wageningen 9 years ago. We thought it's amazing for bicycles. No I understand it's not by Dutch standards...

[@j.vanderson6239]

Wageningen: this is shameful !!

[@jekker1000]

Can you please evaluate my town's infrastructure next. Sadly I think council will not listen or throw a hissy fit when you come to similar conclusions.

[@japppie]

Dit is al 10x beter als in Sittard😂

[@sthomper89512]

Wageningen 36,865 Population [2021] - Estimate 7.540 km² Area 4,889/km² Population Density [2021] 0.73% Annual Population Change [2011 → 2021]

[@geoffersmaher]

brutal , but 100 percent right. just not good enough.

[@bobzelley5100]

Manhattan has spent millions and millions on bike lanes . Yet 127 cyclists and pedestrians were killed by drivers the first 6 months of 2024. 127 deaths is 55 more than shooting fatalities

[@CahyoAriyanto-hu2sc]

Purworejo, Central Java , Absen

[@KoenDeJaeger]

wagen - ingen 😂

[@markthomasson5077]

Difficult to think of a UK town as good as