The City You Can’t Drive Through | NL by Bike – Day 9

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0:00 The city you can’t drive through
0:30 Groningen: The City of Bicycles
0:52 Traffic Circulation Plan
2:08 Verkeerscirculatieplan History
3:23 One more route bro
4:45 Groningen evolution
5:00 Cor Van Der Klaauw
5:41 Groningen Bike tour
6:03 Highway turned Park
7:30 Modal filter
7:54 All ways green for bikes
8:30 Bicycle Scramble
9:17 Right on red for bikes
9:29 Groningen traffic lights
10:23 Fish Market (Vismarkt)
10:55 Forum Groningen
11:24 Bicycle Parking Police (fietsen worden)
12:37 Livable city
13:18 Noorderplantsoen
12:37 Gerrit Krol Bridge
14:27 Gas station turned bakery
14:43 Fietsles (Learning to cycle)
15:17 Cor’s send off
16:12 Riding to Leeuwarden
17:27 Entering Friesland
18:13 Battling the Dutch Hill
19:29 Leeuwarden Prison Hotel

Sources

Planning fundamental urban traffic changes: experiences with the Groningen traffic
circulation scheme https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/UT04/UT04029FU.pdf

Groningen Archives: https://www.beeldbankgroningen.nl/

Bicycle Dutch: https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/groningen-cycling-city-of-the-netherlands/

This is the northern Dutch city of Gronigan. And for decades, the center has been divided up to prevent anybody from driving through. But it’s actually one of the key features that has led the city to being named the world’s cycling capital. [Music] Today I’m headed to Lou Warden, starting my day in Gronigan, an old fortress city in the capital of the Dutch province of the same name. Today it is a university town with a lovely walkable city center and is known as the city of bicycles. Some even calling it the bicycle capital of the world, which isn’t surprising as it boasts a cycling moal share of over 60%. That’s ridiculous. And one of the features that has helped shape the Gronigan of today was the traffic circulation plan introduced in the 1970s. The plan was a bold rethinking of how Gronigan’s city center should work, reorganizing traffic in a way that shifted priority away from cars and towards people. It was relatively simple. The city center was to be divided up into four sectors. Cars could enter a sector, but couldn’t drive directly from one to another. If someone wanted to cross the city by car, they had to go back out to the ring road, essentially eliminating through traffic. You shall not pass. At the same time, pedestrians and cyclists weren’t restricted. They could move freely between sectors, gaining more space and safety as cars were pushed out. This meant the heart of Gronigan was no longer just a shortcut for drivers, but a place designed for people to live, shop, and even just hang out. And while Gronigan isn’t unique in having such a feature, you can see this in many Dutch cities. I even covered it briefly in my last series when I visited Hton. I do recommend trying this on Google Maps. It’s actually pretty fun. But what makes Gronigan special is that it was the first to implement it. And the story hits some familiar notes. In the 1960s and 70s, Grown faced the same problem as so many cities. Streets were becoming clogged with through traffic, noise, and pollution. But that was destined to change once 24-year-old Max Vandenberg was elected to city council. His answer was the traffic circulation plan. And the reaction was explosive. Shopkeepers feared the end of their businesses. Drivers predicted a traffic apocalypse. Shop owners painted their windows in protest. Demonstrations were organized. And some politicians who supported the plan even received threats bad enough to require police escorts. The backlash was intense, but Max and his fellow alderman trudged on. And one night in September of 1977, the plan was introduced. The people of Groning woke up to a city center with new signs and traffic diverters. Police handing out pamphlets on the new circulation plan and even greeters handing out flowers to drivers. It was a bit chaotic at first, but as the months passed, fears of economic collapse and traffic disaster proved unfounded. Businesses adapted. The streets became quieter and more welcoming. And people quickly discovered that life without cars dominating the center was not only possible, it was better. And today, it’s hard to imagine Groigan without these changes. Of course, it’s not without its detractors even today. Some arguing that removing traffic filters and allowing drivers to cut through everywhere would make driving easier and reduce congestion. On the surface, it sounds logical. If every road is open, cars have more options and traffic spreads out. But two things. First, this is fundamentally at odds with the purpose of moto filters in the traffic circulation plan. These measures are designed to prevent neighborhoods from being overrun by through traffic and most importantly prioritize safer, calmer streets for people walking, cycling, and living there. And second, if you were to remove the filters, traffic would quickly return and even grow beyond its original levels. Drivers naturally seek the fastest route, and what starts out as a shortcut becomes a clogged artery. Very soon, the apparent short-term gains of easier access dissolves into the same old gridlock with travel times rivaling the securitous routes that previously afforded better places for people to cycle and walk instead of drive. It’s basically a more complex one more lane, bro. This story is a reminder that making change is never easy. In the 1970s, Dutch cities faced the same resistance we hear now in North America whenever a bike lane or traffic calming measure is proposed. Grown shows us that while the transition can be messy and unpopular at first, bold choices can create places that thrive for decades to come. And of course, the city didn’t stop with the circulation plan. They’ve continued to innovate with rain sensors that give cyclists a jump at intersections, heated cycle paths for when it gets frosty, and similar treatments to streets that you may recognize if you’ve been to other cities in the Netherlands. And to explore some of these unique features, I was fortunate to be guided by Core Vanderclow, a recently retired transportation planner. Core began his career in Groigan in the late 1970s, just as the city was rolling out its pioneering traffic circulation plan. Over the course of his career, he primarily worked for the municipality of Groonigan, but also contributed his expertise to the Dutch railways and later taught urban planning, spatial development, and transportation at the applied university in Leuarden. And even in retirement, his passion for the city is strong. There is a saying that no one has ever said, which is you can tell a lot about a man by his coat rack. And I can’t think of anything more transportation and planning passion than a literal bus stop sign taking that place. We set off through the rainy streets and Core let me know that it wasn’t going to be too busy due to the fact that it was a holiday making it more or less a long weekend with the large student population often leaving town. But that afforded us space on the streets to ride to a breast for most of our time together. The first thing we came across was a brand new example of the urban transformation that continues to this day in Gronigan. So we used to have the highway just on a vioaduct. It was built in the 1960s, but now uh they put it underneath and it’s done very very well. But now we made a park over here. This is a combined cycle path and for pedestrians. So a kind of shared space. It’s quite nice how they have made a layout of it. And what you see is in the lunchtime all the people who are working in this big office are going and walking around and you have little uh seats where you can sit down enjoying the space. Yes. Enjoying the space. That’s the word. And the trees over here and the trees over there were old because it used to be before they make this motorway it was a a park, right? But in the 1960s they just uh cut all the trees and made the motorway around. This is the only evidence of what once stood here. You will see a part of the old fire duct which is over there. Is that what that is? Yeah, that’s how it was. And now they make a basketball field. They’ve made it very very nice with the with the green area. But as you can imagine, all this house went very close to the vioaduct. Not very pleasant. No. A big change. Yeah. It’s really hard not to be wowed when you take a look back in time on Google Street View in this very spot. People whose homes looked out to the side of a busy highway vioaduct now can look out on a vast park. We continued on towards the city center where we saw the first example of the diverters that were implemented in the traffic circulation plan. And here you can see one of the elements of the traffic circulation plan because uh in the early days cars could go through but you can see the cars have to make a turn around. These can be easy to miss when you’re on a bicycle as the flow is just so seamless. The flow that may seem surprising, especially at these intersections, [Music] this is an intersection with always green for bikes. Navigating these bike scrambles feels a lot like what we might imagine a future with autonomous cars would be where traffic signals might not even be necessary because everything flows seamlessly together. But the truth is people are already doing that. You see it when you walk on the sidewalk. And the same thing happens here on bicycles. People coordinate with body language and eye contact, making surprisingly smooth passage and on their way. But it’s not without its critics. Mark Vagenber of Bicycle Dutch has written about them on occasion, arguing that all green phases for cyclists feel chaotic and rushed. The short green times make it hard to ride smoothly since cyclists often end up waiting at red lights, which means you won’t find a green wave as frequently as in other cities. And while the system avoids two-stage left turns, that benefit is outweighed by the constant stops and lack of protection, which I can see. It certainly takes a few attempts to feel at ease. It wasn’t the busiest. There was only one moment I saw conflict and the slow speeds of a bicycle. It resulted in a mild inconvenience and a look, not a crash. But I’m sure on the busiest of days, it can get quite a bit more hectic. And here you can see underneath the traffic light that’s four direction green, but when you go to the right, you can go free. There are also a few quirky features unique to Gronigan. One example is the traffic light countdown to green. not specific to the region, but they stray away from the typical circular lights, opting for something a bit more linear. And the bicycle symbol itself, not just a local design for the sake of being different, it’s actually made up of the Gronigan area code 050. As we ventured into the city center, one of the first things that stands out compared to most Dutch cities is the paving. Instead of the familiar red brick, the streets here are covered with distinctive yellow pavers. A design choice from the early 1990s intended to give the city its own identity. Well, this is a street for cyclists and pedestrians. And I thought till 11 in the morning, you can go by car over here. This is a great thing to note. Cars and delivery trucks are not banished from the city center. Businesses can still get deliveries. Well, now we arrive into the center and we will go over there also because there you see the Matini Tower which is uh the main church and the building over there behind the crane. That’s what we call it forum. It’s really great. And this used to be the corn market, but now it’s um a supermarket. This is the fish market square, a space that was once dominated by car lanes and parking. And while empty right now, the next morning it hosted a bustling market. We explored a few of the underground parking lots, one of which was under the forum as Cor mentioned, a striking geometric monolith of a building that acts as a modern city community center. On the ground floor was a wooden diarama of the city. And as you go up the floors via the escalators, you can see how wellused the space is. the cafe, library, cinema, restaurant, and since this part of the city is a no-fly zone for drones, the rooftop was a great place to view the city from above. And another note about parking a bicycle, they offer such convenient and free spots for a reason. This car from the municipality is collecting the bikes which are where the it’s not allowed to park because the maintenance is very very important. Yeah, if you don’t, it will be a mess everywhere. And the solution there is to offer very convenient parking, right? That’s the thing. We’ve got very good parking facilities. Within 15 minutes, they will take them away. And uh you have to pay. Yes. Yeah. €50. €25 25 we have to pay. They will bring them to the dumpster deep. But the first 84 hours is for free and then you have to pay €25. Thank you. Yo, well that’s nice. Uh Nick, you see how it works. So within 15 minutes they will take them away and they put them in this car. Yes. And there’s the end of the zone. So you would see what happened from here onwards. uh they will park the bikes. Okay, this is the sign. As we made our way northeast through the city, I asked Core, who’s lived here since the traffic circulation plan was first introduced, what he thought of its overall impact. Well, I think it’s it’s it’s a much more livable city with more attention for pedestrians and cyclists. I think also the uh the shop owners are very happy because they get much more people around. It’s a nice city. People will come here. They like the town with all the little shops and the cafes and uh go out and uh all the young people. So, um never a dull moment over here. Always something happening. Yeah, there’s always something happening. We passed by the Nord Plansoon Northern Park, a linear green space that used to be split up by a busy road, but was close to car traffic in the ’90s and now hosts a much more pleasant experience for the ears. Well, this is the canal, but there used to be a bridge. You can see the uh the west of it from there to there, a swing bridge. But what happened was that there was a ship and that one that didn’t see the bridge which was closed. So they hit the bridge in such a way demolished it they couldn’t repair it. Now there will be a new bridge, but this is a temporary one, but it’s done quite well because now you can cycle the whole way. You don’t have to get up. Yeah, you don’t have to wait for the for the ships because they can’t Yeah. Well, they can open it, but they never do. From here, you can see an example of how different modes of transportation are separated. We were, of course, on the pedestrian and cycling bridges. To the northwest was a crossing for cars and trains. And in the opposite direction, one for buses. On our way back to the city center, we spotted one last piece of transformation. This bakery and cafe, which wasn’t always the case. Just a few short years ago, this was a gas station right on the canal. Who doesn’t want this to happen in their cities? It’s simply fantastic. And this is uh from a famous Dutch sculpture maker, which I think is excellent. Learning cycling. Yes. Great, isn’t it? Perfect timing, too. I’ve made some presentation as I always take this picture in it cuz it’s such a nice picture. Great, isn’t it? Yeah, I love that. I love this sculpture because it captures the reason like the motivation that got me into the topic of urbanism to have communities where we can freely send our children off to explore. Finally, I asked Core if he had any final words for the folks watching at home. try to continue the policy of uh making towns friendly for cyclists and pedestrians and for public transport as well. Uh look after the climate change. Make a combination of especially compact city town planning, traffic policy so that people will be happy to live in the town where they uh yeah where where they live and to be a kind of an ambassador of the town where they live to to hopefully that other towns could take over some parts of it. Hopefully al also the ideas, right? Beautiful. Beautiful. That is some wisdom to live by. Set an example for your neighbors and be the change in the community that you want to see. Soaked in rain, we parted ways and I have to say thank you very much to Core for the tour. It was an education. But on my way to Louen, I went a city that core says it’s much nicer than Grown. I was looking forward to a 65 km journey that should take me just over 3 hours. The problem today is that now I’ve got the headwind. Yeah, you can probably see. In stark contrast to the previous day, I was in for a fullon Dutch hill experience. All right, so here I’m at like 80 to 90% battery. I got 56 km to go to Lorton. So I’m going to turn up to blue. Got a headwind on me. Just going to see what happens. This is crazy. No, I feel like I’m not moving. Jesus. Just having these trees here makes such a huge difference. Like look at this. Here it comes. Boom. About a third of the way in, I made a pit stop at Gripeskirk for one of my new favorite snacks before taking a detour away from the highway in hopes of avoiding that wind, which was moot. But at least there is better things to look at. [Music] Even on the sea bike, I can barely move. Despite that, despite that, ladies and gentlemen, I am now leaving the province of Gronigan and entering the province of Freezeland, marking the last of the provinces of the Netherlands to visit. I did it. Been to them all. Here we are. While I did knock off all the provinces, I still had more to explore in the rest of Freezeland and parts of North Holland I had never seen. But for now, I would trudge along the fields of Freezeland, hoping my battery would keep up. [Music] 13 more kilometers. And the thing is I am almost out of battery. I’ve been on one bar for at least like I don’t know 7 or 8k now. Will I make it? I’m going to make it. But will I have battery when I get there? I’m going to guess no. Let’s find out. [Music] I’ve never leave from this wind. Holy Finally. Holy. Well, 3 km to go. It’s red. It’s red, but uh it’s still here. There it goes. Feel a power leave. All right. Well, 2 and 1/2 km to go. I can do that. I can do that. I’m in town. I’m headed back into the wind. And uh yeah, I don’t think I could push this bike for very long in the wind without assistance. I’m already pretty gassed. And here I was reminded of what Mark aka Bicycle Dutch told me during day four of this trip. Yeah, the hills or the wind. I don’t know what’s worse. I think the wind’s worse. It’s always in your face. After 4 hours, I finally made it to my destination, which was a hotel called Alibi, located inside an old prison complex. I was keen to drop off my things and explore the city, but uh I hit a bit of a snag. This is my room. This is crazy. Oh, sweet. I’m going be stuck in here forever. It’s actual prison. Just a big gag. Here we are. There’s no handle. [Music] But we have had a long time with lovely weather with a lot of sun and dry I think for more than a month. So, to be honest, a lot of people are happy that it’s raining