More space for people (and less for cars) in Utrecht (NL)

[@amcaesar]

This channel's killer feature is the volume of before and after footage, laying out nearly the change in each instance. It's the essence of excellent video reporting.

[@idromano]

YES! And it's not overproduced, with blasting elevator music, vlogging clichés. His speech is also great by delivering the information in a clear way.

[@amcaesar]

@@idromano Agreed, totally.

[@LoveToday8]

"Walking and cycling before moving cars". Music to my ears.🥰 I really want us to get it together in the USA.

[@ChandlerHokanson]

Between the kids and the man nodding the last scene is great 😆

[@Cl0ckcl0ck]

I really love the way BD shows the workers as committed and social. Positive is nice.

[@marcvanderwee]

@@Cl0ckcl0ck Like at 1.30, where a construction worker helps the mother with her pram (babystroller).

[@jbgaud]

I like the worker helping the mum with stroler to cross the construction place.

[@dannya8614]

I truly enjoy you experimenting with various ways of recording and editing throughout the years. I even got my 81 year old mum hooked, as she remembers many places in the Netherlands.

[@michaelhoward1583]

I've cycled the Netherlands cities for years with my trusted Raleigh Pioneer road bike, the Dutch are light years ahead when it comes to cycling infrastructure in Europe, I always cannot wait to get back on the cycle lanes over there and just relax and take in the beautiful scenery. Thank you for an informative video.

[@Cl0ckcl0ck]

3.35 "Hallo meneer, staan we goed op film?" ---> "Hello mister, did you catch us on film well?" and also "Hello mister, do we look good on film/tape/movie/etc"

[@MrBerendd]

Always happy to see my city on this channel. The Voorstraat was a mess with only one way bicycle lane separated from the cars. I prefer this solution big time.

[@xirom-moksum]

oh yeah i remember this street when i've been to utrecht last year. Great to see the infrastructure constantly evolving. Meanwhile in my City in Germany, we're struggeling to get a cycle lane in both directions on the main street.

[@SidMajors]

That's the thing. This isn't really a main street. It already was a busy street for cyclists.

[@Froboymike]

Great video! You have many great videos and I also love watching the construction progress too. As a city planner I wish our town was ready for this kind of infrastructure, but we are just entering the realm of cycle tracks luckily with dutch style intersection protection.

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

I love watching these videos , its all I get until I can return thanks for making them .

[@MrAronymous]

The end bit alluded to it but I'm afraid that you left out the clear cut wording: a cycle street only works if the volume of cyclists is high enough and the volume of motor vehicles is low enough. Just putting a painted variation of "cyclist reign supreme here" on the asphalt doesn't do much by itself.

[@C0deH0wler]

Well, it's easy to do the latter part: strategic modal filters.

[@DarkDutch007]

if you want to increase the volume of cyclist, you can start on some roads and changing them into what you see on 0:50 , and don't forget putting more (separated) bicycle paths in your city because 1 street is not enough, after some time the volume should increase if for more people using a bicycle would be easier/faster than using a car. or close streets completely for cars with an exception for city busses and emergency services, this should make the bus go a bit faster, more space for walking an cycling.

[@maddog6329]

More people would cycle if it was safer to dangerous at the moment car drivers are in to much of a hurry

[@iSkully99]

@@maddog6329 Cyclists and pedestrians are in just as much of a hurry in traffic. Prioritising being somewhere on time rather than arriving safely is something all people who commute do, not just cars.

[@Crusader677]

@@iSkully99 Yes, but cars are far more dangerous at high speeds than any pedestrian or cyclist. A car at even moderate speeds is far more likely to cause serious harm than a cyclist.

[@teunsmits6586]

a great improvement to what wouldve been one of the lesser parts of my (and many other student's) commute(s), I have a feeling I won't get to use it for some time yet though.

[@sonikasingh5618]

I used to live at Voorstraat, and even though my building was new, everytime a truck would pass on the street, the whole building would get a small jolt, like a sea saw.

[@stepaglushkov7731]

I'd like to help with russian subtitles for this video.

[@BicycleDutch]

The subtitles are now available!

[@Steentje06]

Knowledge spreading! Salute to you

[@ifancymyselfmorethenothers8723]

I love watching this channe am from Bergen op zoom but live in London now NL 🇳🇱 is the best 😎

[@Republic-k4t]

If you have time, please come to Worcester, England and do a video on what needs improving and any good points about our cycling infrastructure.

[@driewiel]

At 0:44 you can see a white DAF. As a child your worst nightmare was your dad bought one and you had to hide for your friends. Now of course you look extremely cool in an old DAF. We call it an anti-car. The type of vehicle that slows down other traffic.

[@rodrigosouto9502]

Thanks for your explanation!

[@steve00alt70]

Northern ireland needs this too as its mainly cars. Dutch road planner come over here.

[@Zoza15]

The Dutch planners would to help Ireland with its infrastructure, although 1 problem, your politics.

[@williamvan909]

this is what we need too do here in Alaska mostly in the Anchorage Area and fairbanks too and along the Highways thanks for the ideas

[@danutatokarska7428]

Utrecht jest piękny

[@JM-ml3ch]

Good video. what is cost of living?

[@marcvanderwee]

The last few seconds is a good example how some people react toards the cameraman in a nice way. Hallo meneer, staan we goed op de film? Ja hoor! Hello sir, are we good filmed? Sure you are!

[@hoi264]

Misschien interessant om te kijken naar de aanpassingen lang de Ringvaart. Weteringbrug en Vredeburg hebben een fietsstraat gekregen. Bij Leimuiderbrug is geen doorgaand verkeer meer mogelijk voor auto's en zo zijn er langs de Ringvaart meer aanpassingen gedaan na samenspraak met de bewoners. Het is zomers altijd een zeer populaire recreatie route voor fietsers.

[@BicycleDutch]

Over welke plaats gaat dat?

[@hoi264]

@@BicycleDutch Weteringbrug, Vredeburg en Leimuiderbrug. Dat zijn allemaal plaatsen in de gemeente Haarlemmermeer. Meer info: haarlemmermeergemeente.nl/en/ringdijk-en-ringvaart

[@thetoekster6728]

Ja jongens, jullie staan goed op beeld

[@nathalie9905]

Ik hoop dat ze ooit de video zien :)

[@thetoekster6728]

@@nathalie9905 ja dan ga ik lachen

[@bikelanez7376]

Wow this is beautiful 😍

[@renitenterrentner5579]

Cars are for people !

[@fahrrad5236]

Cars are for stupid boomers

[@gerardg1950]

Was it a coincidence that you put your ‘some drivers fail’ text @3:08 over the footage of the white merc SUV?

[@iSkully99]

He wasn't really doing anything wrong though

[@pravdaifakti]

Super!

[@RealConstructor]

Not a surprise to see it was a Mercedes driver that didn’t know how to behave like a guest in a cycle street. Although it could also be a BMW or Audi. Those drivers often exempt themselves from traffic rules and parking regulations.

[@kevbarnes8459]

Cause they are probably a snob

[@popatop75]

how long did it take to comlete and the parking sign at time 245 is that unloading goods products time" where did the people go or use of road way when this work is going on?

[@kevonvideo]

There were extensive rerouting options, indicated by signs and colored painted arrows on the road: twitter.com/GemeenteUtrecht/status/1264922201079365632?s=19

[@DoomThinking]

There is one example of a cycling street not working, and actually being very dangerous during some hours of the day: the kruisstraat in Eindhoven. People are driving like maniacs, and the parking bays are positioned in ways that make it impossible to see cyclists when you are leaving them, leading to many accidents

[@C0deH0wler]

They should at least prevent rat-running.

[@DoomThinking]

@@C0deH0wler I never thought it possible, but it is possible to drive 80 km/h in a cycling street. But I totally agree in principle

[@peterjones3557]

Bravo Utrecht!

[@yasseral-saadi6557]

This is lovely but would not work as well in Germany. Too many drivers here would drive too fast and park in the loading bays (the parking fines here are ridiculously low). I’ve been told by so many German drivers to ride my bike on the sidewalk even though that’s illegal. But unfortunately in this country a lot of drivers believe that the road belongs to them and only to them.

[@electricboi9319]

Yeah I'm German too and I hate that aspect of our culture

[@DarkDutch007]

increase fines or place a warning that the car can be towed and also inforce this policy?

[@yasseral-saadi6557]

@@DarkDutch007 that’s exactly what needs to happen. Unfortunately the federal government refuses to do that because the car lobby in Germany is very powerful and cars are for many Germans culturally important. What people here consider to be draconian fines are considered completely normal in the Netherlands or Switzerland or Italy.

[@DarkDutch007]

​@@yasseral-saadi6557 instead wanting to change the whole country in one swoop, why not start smaller? like the city you live in, if more people have that problem you can go to the major or whoever goes about those things in your place and start small. if they agree on the problems and change some ways, getting positive results, less accidents, more people going around with alternative transport to cars, other places might follow. (it takes time though)

[@yasseral-saadi6557]

@@DarkDutch007 the problem in Germany is that a lot of the rules (like parking & speeding fines) are set federally and can’t be changed by the city. The same goes for rules that make it sometimes difficult to have 30 km/h speed zones. That being said, I live in Hamburg and I think that there is a lot more that Hamburg can do than what it’s currently doing. Things are very slowly starting to change but we’re so far behind countries like the Netherlands and I’m worried that it’ll take 30 years until we get to where NL is now.

[@songman5538]

Oh finally I can get back to my normal cycle route

[@maheshpoojari2815]

Wow only cycle country ❤️👍🇮🇳

[@peter1062]

A cycle street may work well as long as it is a dead end street for cars, so, for destination traffic only. This situation in Utrecht seems quit scary to me, especially at night.

[@BicycleDutch]

This *is* now a street for destination traffic only. It's a loop that will send you out of the centre again at almost the same place where you entered. Thanks to some changed directions in one-way streets.

[@peter1062]

@@BicycleDutch Aha, yes, I should have checked on google maps. Clever design of traffic flow can often be half the job.

[@kingpertinax]

0:09 included sigaret

[@Boxyde]

Ik voel me ongemakkelijk als ik fietsend de snelheid van gemotoriseerd verkeer moet corrigeren. De verkeershufters laten dat niet toe, en intimideren je van de weg af. Als je geluk hebt tenminste, soms gaat het verder dan dat.

[@mo-po]

Nice video of the town I was born! But I have a question; is it legally okay to use footage of people you filmed without their consent?

[@BicycleDutch]

Yes, it is perfectly legal to film street scenes with random people passing by in the Netherlands.

[@mo-po]

@@BicycleDutch ah, good to know, thank you!

[@marcvanderwee]

@@mo-po And most people don't mind about it, just watch the passing boys on their bicycles at the end when one of them asks: Staan we goed op de film? In English: 'Are we pictured good'?

[@goozerboozer8543]

I usually like the change from car centric to cycling/walking centric streets that are shown here, but there isn't a big difference of this street compared to the situation before. It has been a one way street for cars for a few years already and before cyclist even had a seperate cycling lane heading to the west, which means that cars heading east couldn't hit them. The only advantage I see is that there's more walking area, but now cyclists heading to the west don't have their own cycling lane anymore. Is it worth spending soo much money on a new street while the advantages aren't that high? Edit: The Utrecht government should look at doubling cycling space in the 'Amsterdamsestraatweg', ban motors from the cycling lane and create less parking spaces.

[@AlphaRar]

Hi GoozerBoozer, It was not mentioned in the video, but a disadvantage of the separated cycling lane was that it was quite narrow.Which made it quite hard to pass a fellow cyclist, especially when they cycled in pairs. With this solution in place, that becomes easier. Besides, the aesthetics are also better, imo.

[@goozerboozer8543]

@@AlphaRar I agree with the aesthetics, but I'm wondering why the Voorstraat got an update, while other areas of Utrecht could use an upgrade way better. Also, I was in the Voorstraat two weekends ago and there were a few 'delivery cars' parked with half of their wheels on the streets and half on the sidewalk, so cyclist had to go around the cars and cycle on the wrong side of the street while cars were coming from the other direction as well and I can say that some cars were probably going a little bit too fast as well (similar to the car at 03.10), which did not create a save environment. So my point is basically: 'is it worth spending so much money on something that's barely an improvement?'

[@exactly4234]

So many people that's a problem.

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

If only we could follow, alas our cycle ways are not enforced, so you in my country Scotland, have to jut out into traffic when you need them the most, they are just car parking mostly, wardens just are not doing anything about it, come on SNP inforcment is needed badly.

[@MrDiaz-zc6pp]

Hate to break it to the rest of the world, but the Netherlands is the best country to live in.

[@rustymason3860]

It looks as though one needs a formal degree to navigate the streets in the Netherlands.

[@SidMajors]

All you need is a week to get used to it. Just like any other city. In fact, my experience is that everything is very intuitive. In cities, there usually are a lot of one way roads that loop around back to main streets.

[@rustymason3860]

@@SidMajors Even an American could do it, eh? :-)

[@SidMajors]

@@rustymason3860 Haha well I think you will have to get used that not everything is a grid and streets are very tight sometimes. + there are barely any places to drive really fast. But like I said, it usually is very intuitive. Loops, main roads, lesser roads, one way roads, clear signing and curbs everywhere in between. It's very well organized in most cities, so getting used to it doesn't take too long. It's not like Paris or London.

[@petergfrazier]

motorized carriages... are the problem. The culture of "oil burn" is a problem. All things come to an end.

[@Pfooh]

I deeply hate these solutions. They work fine with higher volumes of cyclists, but those aren't available during the whole day. At quieter times and at night, these 'cars are guest'-streets have cars behaving like maniacs, and give cyclists no protection at all against them. We have a few of those in Amsterdam, and I feel very unsafe on them at night and try to avoid them at all costs.

[@mozismobile]

That depends a lot on the culture, and to some extent on enforcement. Most motorists are reasonable, and the street is still quite narrow so it doesn't really encourage speeding. And for the rest there's enforcement. It only takes getting fined 1% of their annual income once for most motorists to decide that actually, obeying the speed limit even at night is a good idea.

[@Pfooh]

@@mozismobile I don't say 'speeding'. But overtaking where it's quite/too narrow, overtaking with upcoming bikes, tailgating, honking, those are all much harder to enforce. (And very common on these at night, and I don't think Amsterdam and Utrecht are that different in culture)

[@MrHenkkkie]

@@mozismobile The Dutch police will not enforce the speed limit on roads where the V85 is higher than the speedlimit. V85 is the speed which 85% of drivers does not exceed, so 15% of cars drive even faster. This might seem a contradiction, but let me explain: It is the task for the road authority (in this case Gemeente Utrecht) to make sure that the road design on 30 km/h streets is self-enforcing. That meens that because of the well designed street with speedbumps, curves and a narrow profile, the speeds are kept low, but constructing such a road is expensive. If the police would enforce on streets with V85 higher than the speedlimit, the road authority wouldn't bother designing self-enforcing streets because police enforcement is very cheap in comparison and leads to the same result. That is why there is no speed limit enforcement on 'fietsstraten' because the V85 is higher than 30 km/h in general due to the wide profile, smooth asphalt and priority over side streets.

[@Pfooh]

@@sirmario1 I guess not. But i just have the feeling that converting a solution with bike and car traffic separated into a solution where they have to share the road is a move in the wrong direction. In this specific instance, it might be a slight improvement going in 1 direction (but worse in the other), but i think we should try to separate car and bike traffic. Here in Amsterdam, we just got rid of the scooters on the bike paths, and now we're inviting the cars in? That's completely backwards. I don't want to be used as a human barrier to prevent cars from speeding.

[@MrHenkkkie]

@@Pfooh I understand. I think the problem is that fietsstraten are spammed more and more, which decreases the special attention the red asphalt should emit. Also fietsstraten in large cities are often longer than on average, which will annoy drivers when the fietsstraat is too narrow to overtake. Making the profile wider means that this annoyance will decrease, but cars will drive faster, which research shows. Due to the wide profile, smooth asphalt and priority over side roads, the speeds are higher especially when cyclists are absent (during nighttime). Overall I think the solution is great for safety, flow and comfort of cycling but cycling streets shouldn't be spammed everywhere.