| Fietssnelwegen (Bicycle Highways) | |
| Brief Description | There are both speed cycle roads and cycle highways in the Netherlands. A cycle highway is different as it has its own recognizable infrastructure, with a good flow, meaningno cross overs with motorized traffic, better asphalt, no traffic lights. This way, cyclists can quickly travel larger distances. The concept of cycle highways has developed some years ago, in the 1970s there were already local pilot projects for cycle highways.In 2006, Cycle Congestion Free started as one of the forty projects of the FileProof (Congestion proof) programme of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (now the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment) to reduce congestions. The goal was to stimulate car drivers who lived within 15 kilometers from work to instead bike to work. Cycle Congestion Free implements this by intersectoral cooperation with multiple road managers, proactive process management and a strong communication strategy. Currently, Cycle Congestion Free has grown to be a platform around bicycle stimulation. The ambition is to realise a network of cycle highways that connect living and working areas with each other. This project is subsidized by about 1.3 million Euro per route. In total, 21 million Euros was spent for 16 routes and around 5 million Euros was spent constructing the Leiden-Den Haag and Arnhem-Nijmegen routes. |
| Image | – |
| European Country(s) | Netherlands |
| Field | Moving: Cycling |
| Type | Intervention, Product, Policy |
| Impact | Health, Equity, Environmental sustainability |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Target Group | Employees Workplace |
| Evaluation | Yes |
| Level | National |
| INHERIT Perspective | This project has a potential triple win. By offering a better biking infrastructure, people are stimulated to take the bicycle to work instead of the car. When these former car users start cycling to work, they get more physical activity. Employees who cycle to work on a regular basis, have less sick leave compared to their non-cycling colleagues. It also contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and noise. Bicycle highways are freely accessible to all, so people who do not currently have a job and low incomes can still profit from the improved travel arrangements. |
| Detailed description PDF filename | Download file |
| Relevant links | https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/tag/cycle-superhighways/ |
| Contact | Brigit.Staatsen@rivm.nl |
