tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post7922303586455558613..comments2024-02-24T06:21:30.987+01:00Comments on A view from the cycle path: Pedestrianization without adverse effects for cyclistsDavid Hembrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-41546142626608007502015-05-13T10:17:17.893+02:002015-05-13T10:17:17.893+02:00Lodro: Please do not confuse what you see here wit...Lodro: Please do not confuse what you see here with the confusing shared space design which does indeed <a href="http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/search/label/blind%20people" rel="nofollow">cause huge problems for blind people</a>. Sensibly designed places in the Netherlands have plenty of guidance for blind people.<br /><br />Restlesstablet: Endurance and speed ? Not much. Our study tours David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-5866784781253651152015-05-10T16:07:35.970+02:002015-05-10T16:07:35.970+02:00I really wish I could go on a study tour. I do not...I really wish I could go on a study tour. I do not however have 600 euros and travel expenses nor do I have a lack of aerophobia, and boats don*t travel from North America to Europe without being expensive cruise ships. Also, about much endurance at what speed do you recommend for being on one of your cycling tours?Multiparty Democracy Todayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13359081992141220593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-62705862545307999932011-08-27T21:31:17.804+02:002011-08-27T21:31:17.804+02:00I'm coming late to this posting, I know, howev...I'm coming late to this posting, I know, however, amidst the euphoria about this kind of infrastructure, I would like to point something out. Infrastructure like this (pedestrianized "bike allowed" areas, street sharing schemes) leave out one class of street users consistently: blind pedestrians such as myself. While streets might be getting safer for cyclists and ordinary Lodro Rigdzinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08871651490271366890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-86740146270231940162011-02-23T19:43:08.703+01:002011-02-23T19:43:08.703+01:00Matt: Yes, very "British". I really must...Matt: Yes, very "British". I really must make my way down to <a href="http://hembrow.blogspot.com/search/label/limburg" rel="nofollow">Limburg</a> one day to have a look around.<br /><br />It seems like it's a different world down there. And yes, the cycling rate is low for the Netherlands, though the capital of the province is at least <a href="http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2009/07/David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-52723070891736062202011-02-23T19:24:05.115+01:002011-02-23T19:24:05.115+01:00I have noticed previous blog entries concerning th...I have noticed previous blog entries concerning the few Dutch examples of obstacles to cyclists or shared space which doesn't work so well.<br /><br />You can imagine how surprised I was to stumble upon this: <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=maastricht&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.149238,43.286133&ie=UTF8&hq=&Matt Nicholasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-1030905282532195122011-02-23T04:35:21.843+01:002011-02-23T04:35:21.843+01:00One of the reasons this setup works is that there ...One of the reasons this setup works is that there are no cyclists asserting their "rights" to ride through at speed. I suspect there are fewer such cyclists in the Netherlands since there are fewer car drivers asserting their "rights" to drive anywhere and everywhere at speed. When "rights" take precedence over commonsense, the result is what you see in the UK: Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-67648752501073797422011-02-22T12:32:30.815+01:002011-02-22T12:32:30.815+01:00For what it's worth, I spent a week in Siena i...For what it's worth, I spent a week in Siena in the summer of 2009, find pictures <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindcaster-ezzolicious/sets/72157621629052761/" rel="nofollow">here</a> (just impressions of my gf and me, not an urban development photo excercise ;)). My take away: beautifully preserved town, centered around the famous square (yes, we laid down on it), with a ped/bike Amsterdamizehttp://amsterdamize.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-64264653537840155322011-02-22T10:18:08.939+01:002011-02-22T10:18:08.939+01:00Todd: What David has shown here is the central par...Todd: What David has shown here is the central part, the hub, of a new suburb. This regrettably had to be situated on the other side of a motorway but Assen has no room left to build. The suburb, Kloosterveen, consists of houses with gardens and playgrounds, with all commercial and communal activity concentrated in the centre, Kloosterveste, which is intentionally shaped like a medieval town, Frits Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11399632570565541892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-35808958098590726152011-02-22T08:11:35.436+01:002011-02-22T08:11:35.436+01:00Todd: As you know, impressions gained from afar ca...Todd: As you know, impressions gained from afar can be quite different from reality. Photos can be taken in a way to show any place as wonderful. This is one of the reasons why we encourage people to come here for a <a href="http://hembrow.eu/cycling/studytour.html" rel="nofollow">Study Tour</a> so that they experience what it's actually like, as it's easy to create a positive impression David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-13252164450101388052011-02-22T01:08:59.612+01:002011-02-22T01:08:59.612+01:00Hi David,
In reverse: That square does fill up -...Hi David, <br /><br />In reverse: That square does fill up - I have seen other photos and proofread a long essay which included a focus on Siena but I have also not been there. I imagine it might get quite toasty in the summer. People sit on the ground, far as I know. The smiles make up for no green? Maybe not and I am a fan of trees (and they are a big part of what makes Berlin tolerable.)<br />Slow Factoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056080802746709323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-87808513864875017792011-02-21T23:46:05.864+01:002011-02-21T23:46:05.864+01:00GIF: Give it a chance to be finished and to become...GIF: Give it a chance to be finished and to become greener. I made that video in November, nearly a month before the official opening in December. It's still not actually completely finished.<br /><br />I think you're missing the point about the car parking being free of charge. What you have here is an example not of a hair-shirt community choosing to exclude cars and embrace bicycles, David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-19519343043228510062011-02-21T23:22:13.279+01:002011-02-21T23:22:13.279+01:00Some towns (Delft, Goes, Helmond) have started rec...Some towns (Delft, Goes, Helmond) have started reclassifying city centre pedestrian high streets as accessible to cyclists using the exact same method (classing it as a 'pedestrian zone - cycling allowed' rather than 'cycle path'). I've seen it in a few German cities as well.<br /><br />Also, I've noticed that Dutch planners don't really do 'temporary' very Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-5800861288089955042011-02-21T22:20:28.515+01:002011-02-21T22:20:28.515+01:00What you write sounds nice and good, but in this r...What you write sounds nice and good, but in this relatively small pedestrian area I see bike parking in the middle and vehicles which while slow would prevent even slower children's games. There is no greenery, no furniture, no sculptures. It's a calm but cold space. Shifting back to the old, what would a square like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Siena5.jpg" rel="nofollow">Slow Factoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056080802746709323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-35764405553855701382011-02-21T19:57:53.361+01:002011-02-21T19:57:53.361+01:00Ryan: That would be rather similar to someone from...Ryan: That would be rather similar to someone from here thinking that everyone in Toronto lived in a small apartment <a href="http://www.viewit.ca/vwExpandView.aspx?ViT=9524" rel="nofollow">like this one</a> !<br /><br />I live very much in the suburbs myself, though a <a href="http://www.google.nl/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=53.002152,6.538533&spn=0.003312,0.006813&t=h&z=17&layer=c&David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-49708170183975101302011-02-21T19:20:28.326+01:002011-02-21T19:20:28.326+01:00David, I suppose when we (or at least myself) thin...David, I suppose when we (or at least myself) think of a "Dutch house" (or residence) over here, we tend to remember and think back to what we're shown most often on television, which tends to be smaller houses or even flats (usually in the centre of Amsterdam.)<br /><br />Skimming through some of those homes, the biggest difference was garage size. The size of those garages weren&#Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15589492356827998591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-42273259114009622482011-02-21T17:18:34.348+01:002011-02-21T17:18:34.348+01:00Ryan: The houses in this new estate are not partic...Ryan: The houses in this new estate are not particularly small. I think North Americans often imagine that Dutch people live in very small homes, but actually they don't. British houses are on average somewhat smaller.<br /><br />1500 square feet is about 140 square metres. The way it's counted here they don't include the garage, or indeed the hallway or other non "living" David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-49431008752959177642011-02-21T13:09:52.871+01:002011-02-21T13:09:52.871+01:00New developments are nothing like that where I am ...New developments are nothing like that where I am in Canada.<br />Here they consist of these 1500+ sqft. houses (half of which is a garage).<br /><br />In order to shop you have to commute great distances on high-speed roads, which automatically makes cycling (or walking) less attractive.<br /><br />The other type of developments are the big box stores out in the middle of no-where, again on highAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15589492356827998591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-61310234117857264532011-02-21T08:55:41.131+01:002011-02-21T08:55:41.131+01:00Isn't it ludicrous that people can hold two si...Isn't it ludicrous that people can hold two simultaneously contradictory beliefs: that we can provide seemingly never ending amounts of land to be gobbled-up by motor-vehicles, but we aren't able to provide very modest amounts of space for bicycles. <br /><br />The irony is of course, that if we had more people riding bicycles, then fewer people would be driving. Plus they'd be amoebahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783694650121687459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-7682120782216421022011-02-21T00:59:19.766+01:002011-02-21T00:59:19.766+01:00Oh my goodness.
For the English-speaking equivale...Oh my goodness.<br /><br />For the English-speaking equivalent, build a large concrete box in the middle of a car park. If you are feeling adventurous, you might paint it beige.<br /><br />On the glass doors, put a big sign saying "no dogs, no bikes, no scooters, no skateboards".<br /><br />When you arrive in your car and your children begin to walk towards the box by themselves, don&#Edwardnoreply@blogger.com