Zwolle, nominee for best cycling city in the Netherlands 2014 [305]

Zwolle is one of the 5 nominees to become best cycling city of the Netherlands in 2014. A portrait. More info: http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/zwolle-nominee-for-best-cycling-city/

A typical scene in the Netherlands: someone cycling past a windmill. This is the city of Zwolle, that like any Dutch city has excellent cycling facilities, such as separate cycle tracks with priority. So all kinds of people cycle. People feel safe enough to cycle with their babies, with toddlers in tow or children in a "bakfiets". Until these children are old enough to cycle by themselves and later alone, to a sports club for instance. Zwolle has a beautiful old city centre, with well-known landmarks and the old city moat and wall. People arrive here by bicycle. To visit a museum, or to shop in the car-free streets. streets which are for cycling and walking. with so many people cycling cycle parking can become a bit of a challenge, like in many Dutch cities. Roundabouts are of the standard Dutch type with priority for cycling. This makes them easy enough for children. Even children with special needs. There are numerous wayfinding signs and on most tracks you can cycle well-protected from motor traffic. There is also no interaction with buses, or bus passengers Junctions can handle large amounts of people cycling and they can cross roads in a safe way. Sometimes there are even separate cycle lanes for different directions. Not all cycle ways are alongside roads, making them even more attractive. Larger junctions have traffic lights with waiting time indicators. So more people obey red lights. Crossings of roads that are even larger are usually grade-separated. Zwolle has many wide tunnels that take you under roads with heavy traffic. The tunnels have a separate side walk too. More modern tunnels, like this one under rail-road tracks, are much more open and light, to enhance the feeling of safety. Zwolle has one thing that is different from most Dutch cities: a legacy of many more cycle lanes than usual. Most of these cycle lanes are wide enough but they make junction design much more complicated. Most people do not like cycling this close to a bus. To a Dutch eye these cycle lanes look very old fashioned, leading too much more interaction between motor traffic and cycling, than is usual in the rest of the Netherlands. These cycle lanes look like relics of a different era. Not something you would want to see more of. Newer cycle infrastructure is very different and of a type you see everywhere in the Netherlands. Bi-directional wide cycle tracks on one side of larger roads. Making cycling convenient and fast. Zwolle also has many bicycle streets. Streets where most traffic cycles and where cars are guest. Not allowed to go faster than cyclists. Entire streets can be bicycle streets but they can also be service streets alongside a bigger road. Zwolle also dares to innovate with a bicycle roundabout. One where cars cannot drive a full circle but cyclists – who also have priority – can. An already successful innovation. Cycling in Zwolle is safe, convenient and fast. Many people of many different types and backgrounds cycle. Zwolle is a worthy candidate to be Best Cycle City of the Netherlands in 2014.