[Ep. 1081] The Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht, one of the city’s historic main streets, has been completely rebuilt. Once ordered by Napoleon as part of the Paris–Amsterdam Imperial route, it now reflects a modern vision: safer cycling, more space for walking, and a more pleasant environment for residents and small businesses alike.
This video takes you along the redesigned street, showing:
– Wider, smoother cycleways in red asphalt
– Safer crossings with central islands and raised surfaces
– Slower motor traffic limited to 30 km/h
– New trees, planting beds, and improved bicycle parking
– A layout designed for both today and a future with fewer cars
The reconstruction, which took 15 months, transforms a good part of the 5 km Amsterdamsestraatweg into a street where it’s comfortable to shop, sit at a café, walk, or cycle.
See this video for a ride with before and after pictures: https://youtu.be/IwFaj1RFRnk
And you can also read the blogpost: https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/?p=26772
👉 What do you think of Utrecht’s new approach to urban cycling and livability?
This is a brand new cycle way
in Utrecht in the Netherlands. The entire street
has been reconstructed. From facade to facade
everything was taken out and replaced. The cycle way is now 50 cm wider than before. That may not sound like much, but it makes cycling here feel
noticeably more pleasant and safer. The city of Utrecht wanted
to improve the livability, safety and economic vitality
of the Amsterdamsestraatweg. The new design creates
a comfortable environment for residents and an attractive
setting for local businesses. The Amsterdamsestraatweg is about
5 km long and unusual for Utrecht. Unlike most streets, it runs
in a perfectly straight line. That’s because Napoleon Bonaparte
ordered its construction in 1811 as part of the improved route from
Paris to Amsterdam through Utrecht. It was built in 1812 as Route Impérial number two. Only after the A2 motorway opened in the
1950s did it turn into a city street. Old photographs show that the more rural parts
already had separate cycleways in the 1920s. Inside the city, there were only fragments with cyclists forced to use painted
lanes on the road for the most part. Around the year 2000, the entire street
finally received continuous cycleways, the very ones now replaced. The old layout no longer
matched how the street was used. It gave too much space to motor traffic. The reconstruction took 15 months
and was carried out in phases. Every element was replaced,
including the unhealthy trees. The new design focuses on livability. There’s more room to walk, cycle, and linger. Motor traffic is now limited to 30 km per hour. The carriageway has two asphalt lanes, each
2.75 m wide with a 1 m strip in between. It looks like brick, but it is
actually a printed asphalt pattern. To keep speeds down,
humps were added every 100 m. The cycleways are 2.5 m
wide in smooth red asphalt. The footways are also at least
2.5 m wide with brick surfacing. Shop displays -typical of this street-
are now limited to 50 cm in depth. Shopkeepers would have preferred 1 m as before. So it will be interesting
to see how this develops. Crossing the street is easier now. Crossings are broken into stages. Something seen as an advantage
in the Netherlands. Where many people are expected, central islands
add a stage to shorten the crossing even more. These raised crossings with their
brick surface also slow down traffic. Most functions are placed in a strip
between the road and the cycle way. Here you find the newly planted trees, planting beds, bicycle parking, now more than before, and car parking bays, now fewer than before. Some loading bays can also be used for
car parking outside delivery hours. Together, these elements create a calmer street where it is pleasant to shop, sit
at an outdoor cafe, walk or cycle. And the design is future proof. When car traffic decreases further, the street can easily become a
cycle street where cars are guest. The carriageway would then be the cycle street and today’s cycle way would
be added to the footway. This way the Amsterdamsestraatweg
is ready both for today and for the future.
30 Comments
What do you think of Utrecht’s redesigned Amsterdamsestraatweg? Wider cycleways, safer crossings, and more space for people — has the city struck the right balance between cycling, walking, and motor traffic? Share your thoughts below!
Great improvement, although they could have saved some of the old trees (not all of them were unhealthy). Also, the new plants are not really good for biodiversity in the city, which is a missed chance in my opinion. Anyway, they should improve more streets like this.
Had er dan gelijk een fiets straat van gemaakt
It is a horror city for a car.
I don't know why I watch these videos, it just makes me SO angry and depressed!!! I would be grateful to have even the "before" arrangement! 😠😠😠 But nooo, I just torture myself watching your calmly narrate about logical, beautiful spaces we simply cannot have in the good old USA because of ignorance.
your temporary cycleways put in for construction are better than the best designed and constructed protected lanes that take decades to get built in the US.
Utrecht loopt toch wel voorop van de 4 grote steden op gebied van fiets-en wandel veiligheid
Shame about the demographics of the area though.
I do think often too little space is given for people to walk. You see how much space there is for bikes but people are having to walk around obstacles and people get angry if you walk in the bike area at all.
I grew up here when it had narrowly avoided a highway conversion. It is wonderful to see this.
You know what, it is actually better to use with a car now too. It is much better to anticipate for pedestrians and cyclists. Way chiller and safer over all. It also looks nice.
was fun to cycle down that street in peak rush hour weaving in and out of the other slower people, waiting for the right moment to overtake and then goooooo
Woonde ooit in die straat. Wat leuk om dit te zien en te 'weten' dat Napoleon de rechte straat heeft bepaald. Ik woon nu ook in de buurt waar Napoleon zijn leger heeft gehad. Niet direct iets met wegen dacht ik … maar misschien moet ik dat nazoeken.
Heel Utrecht is een shit stad. Niet bedoeld in de schepping.
I cycle there almost daily. It honestly looks really good, I especially love all the green patches they added. The street really livened up, great work!
50cm doesn’t sound like a lot? that’s near shoulder apart space as a reference, so almost a entire bike of new space
there is something about this new asphalt that makes you go really fast. could be a matter of perception but still. in the bike parking there is something similar where cycling up a higher level at quite a steep angle is much easier then it is supposed to be.
Wat een prachtige uitspraak van “Amsterdamse straatweg”.
They did a fantastic work. but the area is still plagued with homeless and junkies. so many times you see violence in daylight there. even after they finished the constructions
En hoeveel ondernemers zijn er failliet, en gaan er nog failliet de komende maanden😢😢😢
could you please consider talking normally? I can't stand it. you don't need to accentuate every second word. and you don't need to make every sentence sound like a question. just talk normally.
Hopelijk komt DR GAMES terug, leukste winkel ooit op de ASW!
Growing up, this street was always a huge bottleneck that not only felt unwelcome but also really dangerous.
Watching it evolve makes me proud to know kids won't have to feel the same way.
And now it is a moslim slim with a lot of criminals
It's so cool to see these developments. Meanwhile I live in Meppel. Where the entire city very much feels anti-bike.
Ceintuurbaan. A long 50km/h street crossing along the city center, where all roundabouts give priority to cars. 50km/h straight stretch in front of the train station which genuinely makes is terrifying to cross, especially when it's dark out.
As a cyclist or pedestrian its dangerous to cross the street st any other place than crosswalks.
Also the cycle lanes are directly adjacent to that road only marked off with paint.
And that road being 50km/h really doesn't make sense since there is an obstacle every 200m in the form of crosswalks, intersections or traffic lights.
The city developers really need to give it the same treatment.
Utrecht is a very bike hostile city, you will find ZERO places to charge your e-bike, while they have those for cars on every street corner.
AFAIK Utrecht is the only city in the Netherlands where they don't give out any permits for that.
So if you have to go to the Jaarbeurscentrum or so you are forced to go by car or public transport, because in Utrecht they don't want bikes.
I rode on that street for decades when i still lived in Utrecht.. for like 20 years i cycled every school/work week over the Amsterdamse Straatweg and seeing this video things have changed a LOT visually but i still wonder if there are still people cycling against traffic still or not because that was literally a daily problem over there.. glad they widened the bicycle path as well because it was so annoying to go past people who either had bags on the back of their bicycle making them too wide to pass comfortably or there was the one or several other people cycling or even scooters who would ride against traffic.. and many people i know have said that the Amsterdamse Straatweg is like a highway but for bicycles and i agree 100%
Je ken de stroat wel verandere maor de mense blijve aso!
What do you mean “ unhealthy “ trees?
The median is a waste of space. Sidewalks could have used it