Utrecht closed this street to motor traffic, twice!

[Ep. 1013] 50 years ago the Utrecht "Rubicondreef" was closed to motor traffic, but people oposing this modal filter went to court and the street had to re-open. 25 years ago the street was closed again, this time permanently, but the story doesn't end there. A huge new change is coming soon! This is the story of the Utrecht street I grew up in.
More information in the blog post: bicycledutch.wordpress.com/?p...

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

Lovely little "home story"! And the fact that at a young age you kept record of the urban infra around your house in a scrapbook, really amazing. Thanks for sharing, Mark!

[@webchimp]

He was on Active Towns with John and talks about that a bit more.

[@Arjay404]

I find it insane that people from outside the neighborhood complained about loosing their throughroute AND then winning the case about it. It's a neighborhood, what does an outsiders desire on it matter.

[@fryfrysk]

True, but that was 50 y ago when petrol heads ruled : almost no chance today

[@scb2scb2]

People don't like change and in the old days shops where scared, goods drivers worried etc etc ... People have to see it working before they accept its progress. When the country started to move from 'progress is adding more car infra' to 'progress is less car infra' in the 70,80,90 people needed a while to adapt its human nature.

[@christill]

The road you grew up on looks quite like it could be in the UK. It’s a good British street with the modal filter and greenery, but normal service of blowing us out of the water with street design is about to be resumed.

[@Dagonfry]

This video sounds like a BicycleDutch origin story 😅

[@LeafHuntress]

It is, the longer version is told in an interview with John over on the Active Towns channel/podcast.

[@lolololol7573]

Je kanaal is fantastisch :) Dankjewel voor al het werk dat je al deze jaren in hebt gestoken, het is een prachtig archief. Het lijkt me altijd heel leuk om dit soort videos in elkaar te mogen zetten. Maar ik heb een hekel aan het onderzoek, dus het schiet niet echt op haha. Wat een werk! Dus, heb enorm veel respect voor wat je doet.

[@RobertDoornbosF1]

Ik doe zelf ook graag van dit soort kleine onderzoekjes. Tip: Begin met grote of bekende veranderingen met veel informatie. Dan weet je hoe het proces gaat. Dan steeds kleinere projecten met specifiekere bronnen, die je ondertussen misschien al hebt gevonden.

[@stink1701]

here is the US, the only way that streets get "updated" is by instituting the latest lane width standards and then the use the "85th percentile" rule to increase the speed and throughput of cars from outside of the neighborhood. Although new neighborhoods can have culs de sac and blocked off streets to prevent through traffic, they can not legally narrow streets, or use neck downs, or speed bumps (fire dept complaints,this includes raised intersections/ continuous sidewalks etc.). Yup, here faster, bigger, less livable is the name of the game and in most places the only legal thing. There is no safer, greener, more livable. Because that would be "Socialism".

[@iamjoestafford]

One of your best videos yet! I really enjoyed that - so informative and enlightening. Thanks Mark!

[@ThermoMan]

Fascinating story

[@GreenJimll]

Heh, if that was in Warwickshire, UK they'd probably still be undertaking the consultation for the original 1970s LTN restriction. 😆

[@tomeknaj]

Well-documented, great video!

[@johncrwarner]

I love micro-history and looking at the development of a a small area was fascinating My memories of the Netherlands are mostly from a family holiday in the 1970s and that was a car and camping holiday and I do remember that even then in Amsterdam it was better to take public transport than drive in the centre. Since then I have been the Netherlands many times but usually going to specific places mostly by train doing a lot of walking in urban areas so Dutch suburban living and infastructure is not something I see,

[@rayclarke5367]

It's interesting to hear you say that, "road transformations are part of Dutch life". In my village in the UK, virtually nothing has changed in 150 years. We desperately need improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. 😠

[@Rabe1907]

In Deutschland ist es nicht anders, deshalb habe ich höchsten Respekt vor den Niederländern ! Wir machen wegen der Fahrradkultur nur Urlaub in den Niederlanden ! ❤

[@jasper265]

Interestingly, just a stone's throw away on the Amazonedreef (right on the edge of the old map), a modal filter that allows busses and bicycles is about to be removed because it's believed to be harming nearby businesses. Or at least, that was the plan a year ago when I moved away from there and I believe they haven't yet. Their first attempt was stopped by a court case, but they made a second plan that was going to be harder to stop.

[@joshgray9035]

I lived 4.5 years as an expat in the Wittevrouwen neighbourhood of Utrecht and loved the city. Small and compact with world class infrastructure and a lovely feel.

[@gijskramer1702]

Ik woon redelijk dicht bij utrecht en wist niet dat ze zo op dreef zijn. Zolang niemand moeilijk doet kunnen dingen ongemerkt verbeteren

[@MarijnvdSterre]

Ha! 😂

[@markuserikssen]

Hihi!

[@Onedutchbikeinvalencia]

WoW so nice and safe those streets.

[@nrichthof]

How did the council get around the court order and the royal decree? Are they not legally binding anymore? Or is this a case of "asking for forgiveness, not permission"? 🙂

[@dutmala]

Woonerven are the best, i grew up in a village with roads that predate them but in essence every non main street is one, it's safe quiet, and no traffic

[@scb2scb2]

So agree its fun to see parts of Utrecht change and the speed of change seems to be speeding up. Went to school in the area you showed here but i am a kid from 'lombok' part of the city that has seen much change since the 1970's. They are now redoing the kanaalstraat again and removing things like traffic lights to boot. I am sure there are people who feel the changes are bad but i am not one of them loving these changes except the work in progress at times forces us to detour the last few years on the daily utrecht rides. Thanks for the story feels it matches my feelings of what is happening in 'my' city.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

They're closing this street They're closing it twice Gonna make sure it's turning out nice Cycle lanes are coming to town~ 🎶

[@ilaglikehell]

That's really interesting because i live 50 meters from that spot in question haha.

[@KeVIn-pm7pu]

2:05 thats a lot of red cars

[@Esudao]

What's the timeline of these changes? I live in Moezeldreef!

[@BicycleDutch]

Early 1960s street constructed. 1973 closed to motor traffic. 1978 opened again. 1998 closed again. 2024/2025 planned reconstruction as Woonerf (the short part on the Ebrodreef side).

[@symbolsandsystems]

any lasting agreement is open to change

[@borchen0]

Zag ik daar een campeer-aanhanger? Zo'n ding hadden m'n ouders ook in de jaren '70. Daar zat oa de tent in. Dat ding sleepten we toen overal naartoe.

[@hansolo2121]

Zo'n ding heet "een vouwwagen". Je deed de klep open en dan kon je de tent er ahw uitvouwen en vastzetten. Die dingen kwam je in de jaren 70 en 80 heel vaak tegen op straat. Nu niet meer.

[@rlc6810]

drempels! my favorite dish! :D

[@artman40]

Makes one want to move back?

[@marianandnorbert]

is it weird that a part of me will miss the ghetto esque appeal of overvecht? (not from overvecht myself but still from utrecht)

[@etbadaboum]

The reef will be now rife with kids' laughs and greenery

[@GurHaenouasHazourem]

I could work on "anything" if the Netherlands would allow me to live there permanently. Tyred of living in a country that has no respect for its citizens, and cares not for any future, only more power and authority.

[@ordinis_helenium]

👍🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@pineapplepizza27]

great video. the past tense of the word "dive" is not dived but dove (rhymes with drove). not to be confused with the bird dove which rhymes with "of". its confusing i know but otherwise your english is very very good keep up the great videos, i wish american streets were more like NL!

[@BicycleDutch]

"Dived and dove are both correct past tense forms of the word dive. Dove is more common in North America, while dived is more prevalent among British English speakers." languagetool.org/insights/post/word-choice-dived-or-dove/

[@rogink]

Nonsense. No one uses 'dove' as a verb in the 21st century unless they are being ironic. I assume you aren't a native speaker because the bird ''dove' doesn't sound like 'of'. It's the same sound as 'oven'.

[@qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq-q]

@rogink bait