Hackney cyclist: Nijmegen

Showing posts with label Nijmegen. Show all posts

Monday, 15 January 2018

Cycling between cities in the Netherlands - Part Thirteen: Utrecht to Nijmegen via Veenendaal, Ede and Arnhem

I cycled from Nijmegen to Utrecht in 2016 and so, almost exactly a year later, I decided to cycle in the opposite direction, from Utrecht to Nijmegen. Obviously I wanted to take a different route and chose to go through Veenendaal, which I'd previously read about on Mark Treasures blog, and also use the fast cycle route from Arnhem to Nijmegen. This would be a long ride and so I scheduled it for Wednesday, knowing that I wouldn't have any other rides between cities left after this. Accommodation for these trips is booked months in advance and so the dates are fixed as to when I ride, which means I ride whatever the weather. Had I done this trip a week earlier, as I was originally planning to do, then I would have been cycling through very high temperatures as the Netherlands was experiencing a European wide heatwave. Every time I told anyone in Utrecht I was planning to cycle to Nijmegen the following day they responded that I would get caught up in thunderstorms. Thankfully after getting wet on the ride from Nijmegen last year I had come back equipped with waterproof overalls.

I began my journey out of Utrecht along Voorstraat, a street I had already had a bad experience on during my time in the City. This time was no different as I and others had to pause whilst a bus drove on the cycleway. I continued along Biltstraat with light rain beginning, not heavy enough for me to get my waterproofs out but it was for others. I cycled under the large roundabout where it met the ring road and came out on the other side of the road, as I exited Utrecht.

I could also see from here there was another bidirectional cycle track on the opposite side of the road as well, and it was being well used, despite the rain and the frequent buses along here. The cycle track continued behind a petrol station, briefly becoming a service road for houses alongside afterwards, but then reverting back to a cycle track. I passed by a bus stop, with ample bicycle parking spaces provided for local residents in this rural area cycling to the bus from their homes. I cycled through an underpass as I passed under the N412, and thanks to google maps I can travel back in time to see before this was built and cyclists had to wait at the lights to cross, rather than the much more convenient grade separation that exists today.

The cycle track ended after here to become a service road alongside the main road, although I noticed that a cycle track continued on the opposite side of the carriageway. Whilst the road continued straight ahead to go into Zeist the N237 made a left turn here to bypass he town, as did I. I continued along a bidirectional cycle track alongside the road, with light rain continuing but not heavy enough for me to get my waterproofs out of my bag. I took the first right, bypassing the traffic lights, to cycle along Panweg towards Zeist. As I passed over the A27 motorway I couldn't help be impressed by the gigantic sound barrier that existed here and stretched well into the distance to protect the residents of this town from the noise of the motorway.

As I entered Zeist I came to a roundabout with a bidirectional cycle track running around it. I was to turn left here and did so by going the "correct way" around 75% of it, rather than just turning left - I still can't quite get used to going the "wrong way" around a roundabout! A used a bidirectional cycle track alongside the road for a short while before I turned right where it lead me onto a minor road. At the end this joined up with a cycle track running along the N224, which cars could use for a short while to access a couple of properties before a barrier stopped them going any further. This route would continue for the next ten kilometres, a very pleasant route with a smooth, well maintained cycle track with a busy road on one side and forest on the other.

The rain soon stopped and I thought about how lucky I was that I had managed to escape the promised thunderstorms, in the end it was just a light shower from Utrecht to here that simply kept me cool and didn't get me too wet. As I arrived on the edge of the town of Woudenberg, my planned route was to continue south along the N224 but I decided to head into the town to have a quick look instead. For the first time in the Netherlands I used British style "staggered" crossings with barriers, but for bikes, rather than for pedestrians. I was now on the most direct road running through the middle of Woudenberg, and what presumably would have been the main road for many years, before the N224 was built to bypass the town to the South. The first section of this road had wide cycle tracks alongside both sides and then a "fietsstraat" sign to indicate cars were guests as I reached the centre of the town, with a traffic calming layout. As I came to the centre of the town and the junction with the N226, the main route north / south of the town, only people cycling or walking could continue across it.

I turned right here on to a tiled cycle track, which then became a service road and crossed over the road onto another service road which took me out of the town. Turning left I used a series of country lanes to serve a small amount of houses and farms, before it became a cycle track which ran alongside the railway and then joining up with another country lane. At the end of this road I came to a T junction and turned right onto another country lane but with a narrow bidirectional cycle track running alongside it. I stopped for a spot of lunch at a bench alongside here, right next to where the A12 motorway passed ahead and as I sat there I was impressed by how many teenagers were out cycling along this road, a constant stream of small groups of them, presumably heading to or from college in Veenendaal, which was still a few miles away. After I had finished my food I set off again behind three teenage boys cycling ahead of me, we all turned left after a short while to cycle along a road, turning right onto another road and then left onto a cycle track. I was now on the outskirts of Veenendaal and the route took me through residential areas on quiet residential streets that were not through routes for motor vehicles but were for people on bike or foot, and also along cycle tracks, direct and separate from the road network.

At this point I was still, by pure coincidence, following the same three boys that I had first cycled behind over three miles away but decided to head south as I reached a main road in the town, just to have a look at the suburbs, and cycled along some cycle streets and roads with cycle tracks. I then took a direct cycle route into the centre of the city and onto the main shopping street, open only to those walking, cycling or vehicles loading at the shops. I briefly headed into a shopping centre at this point to grab a coffee and emerged to the street where the promised thunderstorms had suddenly appeared. Exceptionally heavy rain was pounding the streets outside

Chose the perfect day for a 90km bike ride pic.twitter.com/e3AAGdA0dU
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) 28 June 2017

Barely anyone was cycling but barely anyone was walking either, as we all huddled under the canopy by the entrance to the shopping centre to escape the torrential downpour. After around 20 minutes the rain eased slightly (but it was still raining hard) and I put my waterproofs on and set off again down the main shopping street. As it was raining so hard I didn't take my camera out too much for the rest of the journey. I turned left at a terrible junction with ASL and a cycle lane in the middle. I cycled along a tiled cycle track, which then became a smooth bidirectional cycle track before it peeled away from the main road and turned south. It then became a road leading to some residential properties and then turned left, as I exited Veenendaal. I headed east along some country lanes, a pretty unpleasant ride but more to do with the constant rain. I then reached the outskirts of Ede and took shelter under a bridge at a large motorway intersection. Whilst my waterproofs were keeping most of me dry my trainers, socks and feet were soaked through and I just needed a rest from the constants rain pounding my face. After a while I carried on and cycled over the A12 motorway on a cycling bridge alongside the N781. The original plan was to spend an hour or so exploring Ede but as the rain was heavy and the streets were so empty it seemed best just to push on towards Nijmegen. I cycled through Ede on a combination of cycle streets and cycle tracks and a fairly long section on a stepped cycle track, which is a rare sight in the Netherlands, just a shame it was too wet to get any decent pictures of it! I passed by De Fietser, a gigantic bicycle warehouse showroom where you can go to try and buy all sorts of bikes. I had intended to go in and have a look but due to the weather I'll have to make do with looking at the inside of it on streetview instead. I cycled alongside the railway out of Ede and then onto a path through the forests.

Now, this was an excellent route and would have been a fun ride but at this point it once again started to pour down with torrential rain, so I couldn't enjoy it as much as I should have done. The route continued like this for the next ten kilometres, a really pleasant route through the forests but the rain was constant here so I didn't enjoy my surroundings as much as I'd have liked to. The path was puddle free though, despite the terrible conditions and so cycling through the forest was pleasant and not like your typical British National cycle route!

"Just going to use the Cycle Network to pop into town to do some shoppi... Oh." pic.twitter.com/dTGr83UM0Z
— Mark Treasure (@AsEasyAsRiding) January 9, 2018

As I approached the town of Oosterbeek the cycle track went onto a road, but so wet was it I couldn't even risk getting my camera out so here is a streetview link of the location instead. I soon arrived in Arnhem, where there was little appetite from me to explore the city in this weather, and so I crossed over the railway tracks and soon found my way onto the fast cycle route to Nijmegen. Once out of Arnhem the rain thankfully stopped and I was able to enjoy the ride again, although with a very wet bike and feet!

I soon arrived in Nijmegen and was happy to have both ended my ride and also to be be back in this great city, which is always a pleasure to cycle through.

Distance: Approx 86km / 55 miles
Time: Approx seven and a half hours
Photos taken: 470
Map of the route
Gallery: 70 photos here

An analysis of this trip by Jitensha Oni:

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Cycling between cities in the Netherlands - Part Ten: Nijmegen to Utrecht

I began my journey out of Nijmegen by riding through Waalfront, an old industrial area alongside the river Waal that is in the process of being regenerated with a mixture of derelict land, new houses being built and former industrial buildings, now all being used by new industries. I'd actually been there the previous evening for dinner and a few beers on the recommendation of my Airbnb host. The Honigcomplex is a huge old food producing factory, the back of which now houses burger joints, coffee roasters and breweries. It reminded me a lot of Queens Yard in Hackney Wick, except I didn't have to cycle with construction lorries to get there; as part of the regeneration of the area new cycling infrastructure has, of course, been built.

I was here again to visit the Dutch Bicycle Centre, an area of the former factory that now houses over a dozen companies in the cycling industry. I met Jos Sluijsmans who gave me a tour and showed me some great bikes and we talking of cycling in the Netherlands. Jos offered to go with a ride with me around the city but as I knew I had to cycle nearly 50 miles that day to get to Utrecht and would have less than 24 hours in the city by the time I got there I had to regretfully decline. Next time Jos!

To leave the city I had to cross the River Waal and had a choice of three bridges to do so, and all three had cycle tracks on them of course. The Dutch Bicycle Centre was located almost precisely between two of them and so I chose the newest bridge, which coincidentally turns three years old this week. To get there I had to cycle on quite a large 360 loop in order to access the bridge ascent. It does seem odd that lifts were not added but at least I had a nice cycle track to get me to it. The grass alongside the cycle track was being cut - it is very important that cycle tracks are well maintained like this and that is something the Dutch do well. The cycle track then led me through a busy industrial area before climbing up onto the bridge. From here I could look down onto the redevelopment of Waalfront with the half built cycle track clearly visible. I pondered as to why this couldn't be done in somewhere like the Olympic Park or many other places in London being regenerated with a blank slate.

Crossing over the bridge itself was quite pleasant with the noise barrier alongside reducing both the noise and wind. It made me think that the proposed elevated cycle superhighway alongside the A40 in West London could work well if designed like this. A shame this scheme has been cancelled then, meaning a lot of work for Sadiq Khan to triple the current superhighway provision, with a focus on segregated lanes, as promised. The bridge was exclusively being used by young students and a dog walker, a couple of whom were happy to smile for the camera and say "cheese" as I took a photo. After a long, fast and fun descent from the bridge I turned off this track and onto a narrow path down to the river. This led me onto a road (which I think was restricted to through motor traffic) and I had a great view of the bridge I had just used before crossing under it on a cycle track. I rejoined the road here, which again I think was restricted to through motor traffic, either way painted cycle lanes soon appeared as did the odd motor vehicle. This continued for around the next five miles, a pleasant enough route with a nice view of the river but nothing particularly interesting to mention.

I passed under the A50 motorway and then continued on with either water or grass being the main view. The fields around me were mostly flooded following a few weeks of heavy rain, a sign that the well known Dutch flood control measures were working whilst also giving children a chance to play on a boat in the fields.

This road continued for the next 8 or so miles, with nothing interesting to report, until I reached the town of Ochten where I turned away from the river. I was quite glad to do so as nearly 15 miles on the same road had begun to get a little boring. In Ochten I was back to sharing with motor traffic on paved roads again but the only person I saw cycling here was a child on the pavement. I headed out of the town on a cycle track - it was nice to be back on one after so long on that road. The route from Nijmegen to here was fine and I felt safe using it but it was nicer to hear the sound of a motor car behind you and not have to worry about whether you would receive a close pass. Suddenly it started raining heavily and so I took shelter in a cycle parking shelter of a small bus stop before continuing along a cycle track that had clearly been retro fitted into a narrow rural road. I wondered, not for the first time, why this could not happen on many rural A roads in the UK rather than having large grass verges. At several points the road was so narrow between the houses that there was no room for the cycle track and so instead it simply diverted around the back of the buildings alongside the fields instead (the residents of which had their own entrance to the track). The cycle track continued along this road, quite a nice route, until it approached and then ran alongside a railway line and the A15 motorway. I knew these were there from the map on my phone but could not hear them as a large green wall muted the sound. Occasionally there would be a gap in the trees and the sound of motor traffic would seep through along with large advertising boards promoting "Mattie and Wietze in the morning" on Q Music being the only other clue that a major motorway lay on the other side.

I passed under the motorway and railway line before turning north on a cycle track sandwiched between a road and the Amsterdam-Rhine canal. At this point a very British sight appeared - several dozen schoolchildren all decked out in High-Viz, despite being on a cycle track in the middle of the day. I hope this is not a taste of things to come in the Netherlands, but at least they were not wearing helmets. I continued along this road, passing a gigantic DHL warehouse, before the cycle track turned 90 degrees to the left of the road and lead me through some very nice parkland and alongside a lake.

The track then led me onto a country lane and past a golf club which has a sign outside saying "Welkom Fietsers" with a picture of a cup of coffee underneath it. My Dutch isn't great but even I knew what this sign meant and, as tempted as I was to stop for a coffee, I decided to carry on and get to Utrecht as soon as I could. This road continued for the next few miles, passing under the N835 and the N320 along the way. It was probably the most unpleasant part of the journey as I kept being passed at speed and sometimes quite close by expensive looking cars, almost all of them occupied by a single middle aged man in the drivers seat, quite clearly heading away from a round of golf. What was most frustrating is that I could see from my map, that the wide Amsterdam-Rhine canal was situated just to my left so such a shame a cycle track does not exist running alongside it. Let's hope one day it does!

Reaching the outskirts of Rijswijk I turned left onto the N229 and was glad to be back on a cycle track path again. I was overtaken by three men with far more luggage than me before reaching a jetty for a ferry to take me over the Nederrijn. As the ferry docked five teenage girls exited on bikes, I then boarded the ferry along with two teenage boys for the short ride across the river sat alongside cars. The miserable looking ticket collector came over and after a short conversation with the two teenagers, which presumably was them telling him they had no money, he approached me and I paid my 80 cents. Once we alighted from the ferry I cycled onto a cycle path to the right of the ferry approach

and then on a nice country lane alongside some water and into one of the main shopping streets of the city of Wijk Bij Duurstede. Continuing from here along the main road north on tiled cycle tracks I passed between bus stops and bus stop cycle parking before crossing over to the other side of the road onto a bi-directional cycle track, still coincidentally following the two teenagers from the ferry, nearly two miles after we had alighted. One of them gave a friendly wave goodbye and peeled off as we continued along the cycle track just as the road turned into the very busy N229; fantastic that people of any age can get about by bike here, even right alongside very busy roads

My attention was briefly distracted at this point by a man stood in a hut high in the air ringing bells positioned at the end of long pieces of string in a field alongside the road. My route continued along this busy road for many miles, mostly on a cycle track but occasionally becoming a service road for short periods. It was also clearly a heavily used bus route with buses passing at high speed and every bus stop having large amounts of cycle parking. I passed under the road on the outskirts of Werkhoven, continuing on a service road alongside the other side of the carriageway battling on through the rain until I became so wet and cold that I took shelter under a large cycle shelter at a bus stop on the outskirts of Odijk. A large group of older cyclists passed by, all of them equipped with waterproof overalls once again reminding me what I needed to purchase once I was back home. Continuing along this service road

I reached the A12 motorway where I crossed over the intersection and then travelled along a service road alongside the motorway before crossing under the A12 to use another service road alongside the N411. This route was being used by a lot of people cycling but we had to share the space with several tractors and other farming vehicles who were also it and presumably the prime reason it existed. As I passed a cluster of houses alongside I noticed they all had posters on their windows with a picture of a tractor covered by a big red cross; clearly all the large agricultural vehicles using this service road is an issue here. As we reached the outskirts of Utrecht the service road turned into a cycle track with tractors sent back to the main carriageway, a layout I assume the local residents would like to see extended. I was now into Utrecht and the cycle track gave way and was replaced by painted cycle lanes, not a particularly pleasant place to cycle and a shame there isn't more dedicated space for cycling, considering the width of the road. As the rain began again I crossed over the old city moat and cycled along the Oudegracht canal in the very centre of the historic city where, it being late on a Friday afternoon, there were plenty of families cycling.

Distance: Approx 70km / 45 miles
Time: Approx five hours
Photos taken: 570
Map of the route
Gallery: 65 photos here

An an analysis of this trip by Jitensha Oni:

Thursday, 17 November 2016

Cycling between cities in the Netherlands - Part Nine: 's-Hertogenbosch to Nijmegen

I'd clocked up many miles (or kilometres, if you like) on the bike so far on this trip. Not just riding between cities as detailed on here but cycling within those cities as well, trying to cram in as much cycle track tourism as I could whilst I had the chance. I took a well earned rest for a few hours after arriving in 's-Hertogenbosch before Mark Wagenbuur kindly rode out to meet me after finishing work. For the next two and a half hours we rode all over the city, cycling through new developments after arriving via a cycling viaduct. We talked about many things on the relaxing ride back into the city side by side, the cycling infrastructure of this great city allowing us to do. As we discussed a demonstration that had taken place that very day in London against a bus stop bypass outside a hospital two children of primary school age overtook us, just as we bypassed a bus stop. In the centre of the city we enjoyed cycling on many motor traffic free routes before we had dinner whilst watching young friends and families getting about by bike on a warm summers evening. At one point on our tour Mark had pointed out some markings on a cycle track; this was the about-to-open F59 fast cycle route to Oss. I had already planned my route using the Fietserbond routeplanner and, knowing I would be passing close by Oss suspected that this was the route I would take. A quick look at my phone showed that my route ran alongside the A59 for much of it's length to Oss and so that reassured me that I would be travelling on the new fast cycle route just before it was opening - how great be able to blog about it! However it soon became clear to me after leaving the city that I was not using the F59 and had been directed to a route further south instead. A real shame as I've watched the videos at the end of this post and this would have been an incredible route to take. Therefore if you are ever in 's-Hertogenbosch and are planning to cycle to Oss or Nijmegen then do not use the route detailed below and stick to this route instead! Hopefully the following post will illustrate that whilst the Dutch are building some great fast routes for people to be able to quickly cycle between towns and cities other routes nearby are still mostly pleasurable to cycle on.

Before leaving the city I took a slight detour to take some pictures of a playground and cycle path, built on top of what was a four lane road, that I'd seen the previous evening

In Den Bosch they've closed a four lane road & turned it into a playground and cycle route. Extraordinary. pic.twitter.com/qxRir8a01X
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) June 29, 2016

I heading east out of the city on a cycle track that was half a kilometre away from the F59, before it turned into a service road for residents but with smooth red asphalt, making clear it was a through route for cyclists. The road became a cycle track again as it passed under the A59 motorway, with its colourful noise barriers, before curving round alongside the road to climb over the Maxima canal on a bridge. There was a sharp descent on the other side, although the cycle track curved round making it not as steep as it could have been. The cycle tracks soon turned into an access road for local residents with painted cycle lanes.

The houses along here were huge and with some expensive cars in driveways and gardeners working away in front of several of them it was clear this was a wealthy area. Thinking I was on the F59 I began to think of CS11 and the ridiculous protests from wealthy Hampstead residents over such a minor scheme - what would they think of all the filtering of roads that takes place here! The road soon became a cycle track, although I couldn't help notice the barrier blocking vehicles from using it had been removed. It occasionally became an access road for local residents again, but only for a small handful of properties, before it would again turn into a cycle track. The cycle track continued alongside the A59

before becoming an access road (again with the barrier missing) with painted cycle lanes and then once again becoming a cycle track (with barriers in place but the gaps between them wide enough to get a car through). I was overtaken by a pensioner on an electric assist bike along here before I was once again on an access road (this time finally with barriers and gaps between the barriers that were narrow so no cars could get through).

I bypassed a couple of roundabouts and at the second roundabout a couple of drivers were parked up and exchanging details after a minor bump. Clearly this was nothing too serious but it reminded me of how glad I was not to be sharing space with them. The cycle track continued on, set back some distance from the road including at junctions, allowing space for motorists to wait as they give way to people cycling. A short while later I came to a roundabout and the mapping on my phone was telling me to continue straight ahead, however the sign at this roundabout was directing me to turn right to cycle to Nijmegen. I had realised by now of course that I was not on the F59 fast route. I began to wonder why the sign would point that way, perhaps, like the F59 there was a better route further south from here? I decided to throw caution to the wind and follow the sign rather than my map, just to see where it took me. I passed under the A59 to travel along a road the other side of the motorway. Initially this route wasn't too bad; I was on painted cycle lanes rather than the cycle track I had been using but they were fairly wide. However they soon narrowed, uncomfortably so and I came to my senses and decided I would return to my original route as soon as I possibly could. Returning north along a bi-directional tiled cycle track I heard voices behind me as I passed under the F59 motorway again and was then overtaken by three young men, all chatting away as they cycled side by side; this cycle track was easily wide enough to accommodate four of us, with room to spare. A reminder of how cycle tracks like this make cycling much more sociable than riding on the road. It is nice to hear people talking to each other whilst they ride at a slow pace, even if I can't understand a word they are saying.

I was now on the outskirts of Oss and so near to here is where I would have ended up had I taken the F59 fast route, so not a bad alternative overall. I turned right across the road and onto a rough track which then turned into an even rougher track, not great to cycle on but I'm sure it would have been much worse had it been raining. At the end of this track I turned left onto a road, an old looking and worn out bi-directional cycle track soon appeared and then shortly later disappeared again, leaving me to rejoin the road. I'm sure this section will be upgraded at some point in the future. I turned off onto a narrow country lane, which was filtered just before I passed over the N329 on a narrow bridge. From the top of the bridge my heart sank as a saw a very rough track ahead of me filled with muddy puddles but thankfully as I got closer I saw a smooth path right alongside. This path continued where the muddy track ended and carried on as a nice smooth path winding through woodland. At a large lake I stopped at some benches to eat a sandwich and followed the first Prime Ministers Question time since the EU referendum vote on my phone, briefly depressing me at the state of politics back home. Groups of cyclists went by as I sat there, mainly elderly couples on electric assist bikes, it being the middle of the day. Just as I made my way off again a large group of elderly ladies arrived, all of them out together on bikes.

I continued on via a rough gravel path occasionally passing large groups of bicycles parked up, thinking how this would be large areas of car parking back home. The path soon turned into an access road which ended just as the woodland did, so I turned right onto a cycle track alongside a road and then onto a road with painted cycle lanes.

This road led through several large dairy farms with gigantic sheds full of cows being milked before turning to the right, but I was able to carry straight ahead on a cycle path through fields and crossing over some side roads. I carried on along some residential roads in the suburbs of the city of Ravenstein, before passing under the A50 and then alongside it, on a service road where the signs made clear it could only be used by bicycles and tractors. The motorway and service road soon made their way over a wide River Mass on a bridge, it was very noisy here as lorries passed me by at high speed and I was thinking what a shame it was they did not have noise barriers here. Just then a noise barrier appeared towards the end of the bridge and it felt instantly as though I had inserted ear plugs. I'd become a big fan of these noise barriers on this trip and as someone who lives within hearing distance of the A12 in Hackney it is a real shame TFL hasn't installed any on it. I turned off the service road and made my way along some quiet roads through the village of Niftrik and then a path through fields

and alongside a railway line, which has since featured in the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain's "Good cycling facility of the week". I was now on a cycle track leading to the centre of the town of Wijchen, a track which bent away from the road by a considerable distance to cross the side roads and providing good visibility for drivers to give way to cyclists. It being early afternoon I saw a few children cycling, either with their parents or on their own. By the main railway station I was surprised to see that both level crossings were filtered and so could only be used by people cycling or walking, not by cars. I made my way to the main high street, which was closed to motor vehicles, and sat down for a coffee and Apple pie, watching people cycling by, some of them very young. It seems the shops all managed to be coping just fine without motor traffic directly outside with deliveries unhindered. I made my way out of Wijchen on this road which was wide with painted cycle lanes once the motor traffic returned. The road then became much wider, with the cycle track set back a considerable distance from the road.

The road itself remained single carriageway though with most of the space taken up by trees and grass. I then reached the N234 and cycled along the service track alongside, which was not a through route for motor traffic and was very wide, wide enough for people to ride four abreast with room to spare.

The service road continued as I passed the sign for Nijmegen, becoming a tiled cycle track which took me over the road and alongside a shopping area. This was a pretty bleak area and reminded me of somewhere like Brent Cross. Howver with a network of cycle tracks and bicycle only roads children could still get around by bike amongst these multi lane roads.

The cycle track continued between the N326 and the shopping centre, taking me onto a bridge over the Maas-Waal canal and then continuing between the road and the railway line into Nijmegen.

Distance: Approx 45km / 30 miles
Time: Approx four and a half hours
Photos taken:480
Map of the route
Gallery: 78 photos here

An an analysis of this trip by Jitensha Oni:

Friday, 8 July 2016

Picture Post: 30 minutes outside Nijmegen station in the rain

A week ago I stood outside Nijmegen station for around ten minutes, with a broken bike, taking pictures of people cycling. I then went into the bike maintenance area in the large bike parking lot under the station to get it fixed and then stood outside again taking more pictures as I realised I would not have a bike for the rest of the day.

Below is a selection of those photos in the order I took them. A snapshot of people in Nijmegen getting about by bike on a very wet Thursday morning.