On 9 July 2015, we toured Delft for a second time to examine more facilities. Although rain made the tour less enjoyable, it allowed us to see the drainage of the facilities in action.
Underpasses & Bridges:
Since the water table is high in the Netherlands, subsurface structures are difficult and thus, expensive to build. The main purpose of an underpass is to safely connect two bicycle facilities while bypassing longer routes. Bridges have the same function as underpasses. From my experience in Delft (so far), bridges are mainly used for connecting bicycle facilities on opposite sides of canals. Underpasses are used for going under high volume streets and train tracks. Click this link for more on underpasses and bridges.
Bike Lanes:
Bike lanes are space on the roadway designated for bicyclists. It differs from a cycle track in that it is not protected from car traffic. The main difference I saw, when compared to US bike lanes, was the width. In California, the minimum width a bike lane can be is 5'. While this is plenty of room for a cyclist, it leaves out one important detail: the gutter. Most California streets have a gutter averaging 1.5' wide. Often, the gutter graded is too steep and/or there is debris in the gutter. This makes the gutter impractical for a bike lane. Thus, a 5' bike lane is actually a 3.5' bike lane. Not only is the gutter making the bike lane narrower, but the unusable space forces the cyclist to ride closer to traffic. Gutters in the Netherlands are only one to two bricks wide. For more on bike lanes, click this link.
Advisory Bike Lanes:
Advisory bike lanes are roads where there are designated lanes for bikes, but the cars have to maneuver. In my opinion, advisory bike lanes are like sharrows for cars. Think of it, sharrows make bikes at like cars. Advisory bike lanes make cars act like a bike would in the US. The sharrow vs advisory bike lane just changes which mode is negotiating with the other fixed mode. For more on advisory bike lanes, click this link.
Please add a perspective on where one of these treatments might work in the communities you have lived in and some of the photos that you took as a part of the exercise.
ReplyDeleteAs for bike lanes, they aren't always space designated for bicyclists, in cases such as advisory bicycle lanes, they are provided to give people in their cars an indication of what to do.