摘要: |
A last-minute autumn booking saw me visit the Netherlands for the first time in four years and this time it was by cycle via the Harwich to the Hook of Holland ferry for a few days taking in the sights of Rotterdam and Delft. I have cycled in the country before, but doing it city-to-city further opened my eyes to sustainable safety', the Dutch approach to road safety. In fact, it's not road safety as we traditionally know it in the UK la failed approach, which stubbornly persists); it is very much a safer by design approach. Leaving the port, one has to cross a single carriageway road to pick up a cycle track. The road splits to provide a wide refuge so only one traffic lane has to be dealt with at a time. This set the theme for the next few days. People moving with different levels of kinetic energy are given their own space and indeed, their own networks. When these networks meet or cross, conflicts are either removed with grade separation, or they are skilfully managed within the context that they arise. |