A bike freeway, also known as a cycling superhighway, fast cycle route or bicycle highway, is an informal name for a bicycle path that is meant for long-distance traffic. There is no official definition of a bicycle highway. The characteristics of a cycle motorway mentioned by authorities and traffic experts include an absence of single-level intersections with motorized traffic, a better road surface (preferably asphalt or concrete) and the absence of traffic lights. Bicycle highways are mentioned in connection with traffic jam. Due to higher average speeds than normal cycling infrastructure, they should be an alternative for the car in commuter traffic. Often a cycle motorway follows the route of a railway.
Video Bike freeway
Legal uses
In the Netherlands, the following people can use a bike freeway:
- Cyclists: 'ordinary' cyclists, recumbents, cargo bikes, velomobiles
- Motorcyclists (and depending on the location also mopeds)
- Pedestrians if pavement and footpath are missing
- Drivers of a segway
- Drivers of a disabled vehicle. However, a maximum speed of 30 km / hour applies to them.
Maps Bike freeway
Features
Netherlands
In the Netherlands the bicycle highway is not defined in the RVV (Dutch: Reglement verkeersregels en verkeerstekens). However, there is a guideline for developing bicycle highways. The Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management describes the bicycle highway as a long cycle path without crossings, on which cyclists can travel long distances. By building bicycle highways, the government hopes, among other things, to promote the use of bicycles for commuter traffic and thus prevent traffic jams. [1]
Belgium
In Belgium this type of cycle path is not mentioned in the Road Code. In Belgium, especially the provincial governments and the Flemish Region take the initiative for the construction of a bicycle motorway. At the Flemish Regional level there are no guidelines on the design of cycle highways, only on 'normal' cycle paths. In practice, there are differences between the provinces. This is because the competent Flemish civil servants (MOW, Department of Policy) and agencies (AWV) are also organized per province, so that different emphases are sometimes set for each province. Usually there are also pieces of a bicycle highway with mixed traffic. They may also be used by cars and trucks. They are called a bicycle highway because of the route signaling.
There is no maximum speed (for cyclists), unless indicated otherwise. A bicycle highway is not numbered as a bicycle highway, as is usual for the motorway in the road overview.
Cost of construction
The cost of building a bicycle super highway depends on many things, but is usually between EUR300000/km (for a wide dedicated cycle track) and EUR800000/km (when complex civil engineering structures are needed).
Lane width
In the Netherlands: The minimum desired width of the bicycle lane is 2.00 meters on the bicycle highway. The absolute minimum width of the bicycle lane is 1.50 meters.
In Belgium:
- Antwerp: double direction bicycle paths must be at least 3 meters wide
- Flemish Brabant: double-direction bicycle paths must be 4 meters wide (at least 3 meters), single-direction bicycle paths 2.5 meters (at least 2 meters)
- East Flanders: double-direction cycle paths must be at least 3 meters wide.
Bike freeways by country
Netherlands
The first Dutch route opened in 2004 between Breda and Etten-Leur; many others have been added since then. In 2017 several bicycle superhighways were opened in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region, with the RijnWaalpad as the best example of this new type of cycling infrastructure.
Denmark
The first Danish route, C99, opened in 2012 between the Vesterbro rail station in Copenhagen and Albertslund, a western suburb. The route cost 13.4 million DKK and is 17.5 km long, built with few stops and new paths away from traffic. "Service stations" with air pumps are located at regular intervals, and where the route must cross streets, handholds and running boards are provided so cyclists can wait without having to put their feet on the ground. Similar projects have since been built in Germany among other countries.
Germany
There are also plans in Germany to build bicycle highways.
A 100 km long fast cycle route has been planned between the cities of Duisburg and Hamm, the first parts of which were completed in 2015. Partly use is made here of a disused railway line.
In addition, there is a plan to connect Aachen via a 30 km-long cycle route with the Dutch town of Heerlen. This route is known as the Radschnellweg StädteRegion Aachen.
United Kingdom
In London, twelve new bicycle routes, dubbed Cycle Superhighways, were announced in 2008 by Mayor Ken Livingstone, with the aim of creating continuous cycle routes from outer London into and across central London by the end of 2012.
As of May 2016, only seven cycle superhighways were operational: CS1--CS3 and CS5--CS8.
References
External links
- www.fietssnelwegf35.nl
- www.rijnwaalpad.nl
- www.fietssnelwegen.nl
- www.fietssnelwegen.be
- Bicycle highways in Flanders
Source of article : Wikipedia
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