I just spent a few days exploring Utrecht, inside and outside the city, for another article. Even by Dutch standards, this is a bike-friendly place: over 60% of city-centre trips are pedalled, and outstanding cycleways – wide, smooth, continuous, and with priority at junctions – are everywhere. Nobody knows how many kilometres of bike path there are, because they’re never empty enough to be able to measure.
Green light for cyclists: Traffic signals in Utrecht are phased to sync with cycling speed
The benefits to the economy of two-wheeled transport over motor vehicles is so much that in the last decade they’ve torn out a motorway that went through the centre and replaced it with a canal and bike paths. And statues to cycling assassins.
Until the 2010s this was a city-centre motorway. They replaced it with faster, more up-to-date transport: canals and cycle paths.
It’s also the location of the Netherlands’ (possibly the world’s) oldest cycle path, the largest bike park on the planet, the longest rainbow cycle path, a bridge on the roof of a school, some delightful canals, and pleasant scenery with some lovely historic villages and towns.
Utrecht has canals too, like Amsterdam, but with waterside bars. Not better, just different. OK, better.
Here’s a few photos to give you a flavour of the trip. Pancake-flavour, mostly.
The world’s oldest bike path is in Utrecht, on Maliebaan just east of the central canal ring. The plaque commemorating it states it was installed in 1885. So far it seems to be working.Blooming lycra louts, always going through red lightsUtrecht station cycle parking is said to be the biggest on the planet, with space for 22,000 bikes. And these are Dutch bikes we’re talking here. Made for the tallest people in the world. The Dafne Schippers Bridge, famous for going over the roof of a school. In Britain, cycle lanes go over the heads of most people. Statue of Truus van Lier, World War II resistance heroine. She shot and killed a Nazi officer (who was about to round up and kill a party of Jews) while riding her bike. I don’t remember doing that in my Cycling Proficiency Test.In the newbuild suburbs, such as here in Terwijde, the cycle-path network is excellent. Canoe access is also available. Leisurely ride up the side of the Vecht, the river which winds its way to Amsterdam. Enjoy looking at the swish riverside houses. Unless you’re a millionaire that’s all you’ll be able to do.The must-have accessory for the modern castle: A drawbridgeVianen, south of Utrecht: You’ve enjoyed scenery flat as a pancake, so now have the breakfastCulemborg, south of Utrecht: Since they banned motor traffic from the central square nobody goes there any more, it’s too crowded with cyclistsYeah, yeah, so you want, like, something that says, you know, Holland. A windmill, with a cyclist passing. I’ll give you a windmill, with a cyclist passing. Culemborg, this is. Could be anywhere though. OK, I promised you pancakes. Here’s a picture of pancakes.
