Cycling Amsterdamsestraatweg, Utrecht, Netherlands

Link for video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOkbz4tm324&feature=youtu.be

The first thing that caught my attention in this video was the history of the road shared in the first minute.  I am curious to know how many of the people riding knew that they were on Napoleon's Imperial Route No. 2.  That road reminds me of Mt.Vernon Ave in San Bernardino, CA.  Mt.Vernon is actually Route 66.  I remember singing about Route 66 when I was younger, but I had no idea that I was so close to the historic road.  Going back to the video, the images shown captured innovation.  When I looked at the 1890's picture, I noticed dirt roads and no bicycles.  Jumping to the 1930's, I noticed the electrical lines hanging, the cobblestone road, and abundant bicycles.  This is interesting because "safety bicycles" were invented around 1890 to replace the ridiculous big wheel.  As we can see, the safer bicycles caught on with the help of a paved road.  As we approach the 1970's, the road was paved over with asphalt, and the number of cars on the road increased.  It seemed like the cars and bikes shared the road.  In the 1970's, the trees along the road were knocked down, and there was a distinct bike lane.  As time went on, the bikes got separated from the motorists, creating beautiful islands with trees and bike parking that was far more plentiful than car parking.

The other element that was neat was the synergy and calmness of the current road.  In the 6 minute video, the cameraman stopped once.  He did a good job of pointing out neat features like the bike left turn lanes.  His use of short annotations helped toss in many facts and features without detracting from the experience.  Based off this video, I believe that a similar road layout could work in downtown SLO.  It would need some modifications since the cross-streets tend to get congested during the daytime.  An induction loop detector signal light would probably be most appropriate for the queuing, however, the bike lane might need an IR sensor to double-check bike presence.

Overall, I liked the video.  The music made the ride that much more enjoyable.  After seeing this, I can't wait to cycle in the Netherlands!

~Alex