Cycling between cities in the Netherlands part 14: Hook of Holland to Leiden

For the fourth year in a row I spent over a week cycling around the Netherlands last summer, at a steady and relaxed pace on my heavy Dutch bicycle. I arrived early on Saturday Morning, having taken a train direct from work on Friday night to the overnight ferry from Harwich to Hoek Van Holland. My previous Dutch trips had featured a mix of weather but all of them had involved rain at some point, with 2017 a particular wash out. I packed my waterproofs accordingly but they would remain inside my panniers at all times as the Netherlands, just like the UK, was experiencing the beginning of what would be a long, hot, dry summer and I wouldn't see a single drop of rain for the 10 days I was there. A glorious sunrise woke me up very early on the ferry and so I ate an early breakfast on board before watching us approach and dock from the deck whilst many of my fellow passengers continued to sleep.

After alighting from the ferry I cycled from the terminal, passing a sign welcoming me to the Netherlands within an EU flag, which briefly depressed me as I was reminded that this could be the final time I enter the country as an EU citizen, unless the UK comes to its senses soon and abandons this brexit nonsense.  After briefly stopping at the supermarket in the town centre for water and food I cycled along a bidirectional cycleway alongside the N211. At a roundabout I turned right, ignoring a warning sign, only to find the cycle track closed for maintenance works. Not to worry, after looping back around the roundabout I simply used a dedicated cycleway on the opposite side of the road, elevated above it

As the road bent away the cycle path continued straight on before crossing a main road in a slightly staggered format, presumably to slow me down and to avoid cyclists crossing it at speed. As I crossed the road I couldn't help but notice how the layout here was almost certainly very new, the smooth asphalt, newly painted lines and the still not landscaped soil a dead giveaway. A quick check using the google streetview history feature when I returned home confirms this

Above: Before and after

After using the new crossing the cycleway continued on, sandwiched between fields and gigantic greenhouses before becoming an access only road (for motor traffic) as a fietstraat, which was achieved with a single bollard. The road became a cycleway as it continued straight ahead but I followed the road to the left to turn north towards the coast. I then climbed up and onto the North Sea cycle route

Now this brought back memories. The last time I was here was a decade ago, when I cycled directly to Amsterdam with a couple of friends along this route. I hadn't taken any photos back then but seem to remember it being a single path made from concrete slabs. This was quite clearly newly resurfaced asphalt, with freshly painted lines. Whats more there were now two paths, one for people cycling and another for those on foot. This excellent route continued for several kilometres, a smooth ride between huge greenhouses that feed the world and the North Sea, hidden from my view on the other side of the dike.

As the route continued seamlessly through the edge of Monster I was overtaken by dozens of middle aged men in Lycra, advertising they were all from a cycle club (or perhaps a one off charity ride) from Milton Keynes. I'd spotted a few of them on the ferry after breakfast and we couldn't have been dressed or had bikes that were more different but I exchanged a friendly hello with all of them as they passed. The cycleway ended and so I turned left onto an access road to the beach. It was still only just gone 9am and so the ample cycle parking at the beach was completely empty but would no doubt fill up later, as it was such a nice day. I returned to a smooth fietspad which twisted and turned as it weaved alongside the coast, mainly being used by men on road bikes out for an early morning ride.

The cycle path lead me to the seaside resort of Kijkduin where I was accommodated on cycle tracks during my brief visit. On my last visit here a decade earlier I had continued along this North Sea route for many more miles but here I turned inland towards the Hague, along a narrow path through woodland. I then turned right onto a road which had no cycling infrastructure at all, yet the space for thee lanes of motor traffic at the traffic lights. Turning left onto a main road I cycled along a narrow and bumpy painted cycle lane that gave up at every bus stop. This was my third time in the Hague and once again, I was unimpressed with the quality of cycling infrastructure here. Thankfully this soon became a cycleway separate from the carriageway and as I stopped at a traffic light I was struck that I was once again cycling among "normal" families, having really only seen mostly men on road bikes in lycra up until I'd reached the city. The cycleway continued, becoming bidirectional as I then cycled behind a man and his dog through an intersection and past a petrol station.

I was now cycling along President Kennedylaan and just after it turned into Johan De Wittlaan I passed Catshuis, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. I had absolutely no idea I was doing this at the time and this google streetview link shows how I probably didn't even notice the driveway at all, as the cycle track continues uninterrupted through it. The British Prime Minister would be there a little over a week later, arriving by car with the Dutch Prime minister arriving on his bike, presumably via the very same cycle track I was using. The cycleway continued along the road before peeling away from the roadway slightly as it headed though the outskirts of Scheveningen woods. I then turned left to cross the tram tracks and a canal and turned right at a roundabout (after going all the way round it first)

Cycling around a roundabout in Scheveningen pic.twitter.com/AejviP66PF

— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) February 24, 2019

At the next set of traffic lights I turned left to cross over the road and then stood there for a few minutes taking pictures at the various types of people using this crossing. I cycled away from here on a bidirectional cycleway and then turned left onto a road that was under reconstruction, and so I was left with just a makeshift path to slowly cycle on. Turning left onto a main road I was once again amazed that despite this being a wide road, with buses using it, there was no cycle infrastructure on it at all. It is really only in the Hague that I ever see this when I am in the Netherlands, for some reason. The road continued like this for the next 1.5km until it sharply turned to the left, but I turned off onto a path that lead through woods for a couple of kilometres. I came out onto a wide bidirectional cycleway alongside the N44 road. To my left were a series of buildings behind a high fence with an American flag positioned high in the air; it was quite obvious that this was the American Embassy. I continued alongside the N44 road, briefly turning around as I was impressed by the width of the cycleway as it split, with one half of it going under the main road to the other side of the carriageway

I continued along this cycleway which was separated from the busy road by trees and was wide and smooth so was being used by many different kinds of people. Where the N44 met the N14 road I briefly stopped at a traffic light but was then guided through seamlessly in one go over several traffic lanes and a cycleway crossing to the other side of the carriageway. A short barrier then appeared to protect me from the road and the cycleway became a fietstraat in order for motor vehicles to use as an access only road to access properties alongside. At this point I followed a path into the woods to have some food and a rest in a picnic area secluded in the woods, with just the odd jogger and dog walker passing me by as I sat there. I cycled back to the fietstraat which had large sound barriers to protect residents from the noise of the busy road. It very quickly became a cycleway once more but this time with little protection from the cars on the carriageway alongside

I was now on the outskirts of Wassenaar, which, according to the wikipedia entry, is well known as a very wealthy area of the country and the gigantic houses and gardens I was cycling past were confirmation of this. After passing two horses with a cart, the next set of traffic lights the cycleway became a fietstraat and then just a normal service road. I turned left away from this road, right at a roundabout and then onto a street which had an unusual layout - the car parking was inside of the cycle track, between the cycle track and the footway, instead of the usual layout of having the parking between the cycle track and footway.

Although the google streetview history shows this an improvement on the narrow painted cycle lane in the doorzone that used to be here. This layout soon ended as the cycleway was then sandwiched between the main road and a service road alongside. The markings on the road informed me that I was now entering a "school zone" with this precise school being the American School of the Hague and as I cycled past on a now bidirectional cycleway I glanced in to see a huge amount of cycle parking. I assume that many American children who attend this school cycle there but would probably never do so in their home country.

A study of efficient transport:
How to get to school
🚲 vs. 🚗
vid @daythorn & @BicycleDutch pic.twitter.com/GYsrdDuTnc

— Urban Planning & Mobility (@urbanthoughts11) February 12, 2019

You need to enable children to be able to safely cycle to school by creating safe, comfortable and convenient places to cycle such as this, rather than assuming it is due to culture. In fact the google street view car appears to have driven this way during the school run so plenty of children are on bikes, although several have helmets on, a rare sight on the Dutch school run. I guess you do export some cultures after all.

After passing the school playing fields the cycleway edged back towards the A44 motorway, although there were clearly major roadworks taking place. I was accommodated through these roadworks on a temporary cycleway of very good quality before rejoining the old cycleway. I've no doubt that once this widening / junction reconstruction work is complete that there will be an entirely new cycleway, along with underpasses or dedicated cycle crossings, whilst in the meantime anyone cycling through will continue to have a safe but temporary arrangement. I crossed under the A44 motorway and into Stevenshof, a suburb of Leiden which I have written about before here. I spent several hours exploring this neighbourhood until it was time to check into my hotel on the other side of Leiden.

Distance: Approx 35km /  22 miles
Time: Approx 3 and a half hours
Photos taken: 579
Map of the route
Gallery:  64 photos here

An analysis of this trip by Jitensha Oni:

Next Post:

Part 15: Leiden to Amsterdam

Previous Posts:

2015:
Part 1 - Hook of Holland to Rotterdam / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 2 - Rotterdam to Gouda via Delft / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 3 - Gouda to Utrecht / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 4 - Utrecht to Amsterdam / Photo Gallery of this journey
Part 5 - Amsterdam to Hook of Holland via The Hague / Photo gallery of this journey
2016:
Part 6 - Hook of Holland to Breda / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 7 - Breda to Eindhoven via Tilburg / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 8: Eindhoven to 's-Hertogenbosch / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 9: 's-Hertogenbosch to Nijmegen / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 10: Nijmegen to Utrecht / Photo gallery of this journey
2017:
Part 11: Hook of Holland to Gouda via Delft and Zoetermeer / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 12: Gouda to Utrecht, via a different route / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 13: Utrecht to Nijmegen via Veenendaal, Ede and Arnhem / Photo gallery of this journey

An upgrade to Quietway 2 on Queensbridge Road

Quietway 2 runs between De Beauvoir Town and London Fields via Middleton Road. One of the obstacles of this long popular cycling route has always been crossing the busy Queensbridge Road, which usually involved a wait for a gap in traffic to cross, and often a risky manoeuvre between two streams of moving traffic. There was a pedestrian crossing just south of the junction and so this did help, providing a pedestrian pressed the button, although I've also witnessed people cycling down to the pedestrian crossing via the footway on occasions, to cross there instead.

Middleton Road (quietway 2) running East / West across Queensbridge Road

A year ago Hackney Council ran a consultation on installing traffic lights at these crossroads, following eleven recorded collisions over the previous five year, four of them involving cyclists. The consultation also included some changes to Queensbridge Road just south of the junction, with all of these changes carried out in 2018.

Hackney Council have been looking at installing protected cycle tracks on Queensbridge Road for some time now. It's an obvious road to choose as it is very wide road

Queensbridge Road in 1983, via Alan Denney on flickr 

The same location on Queensbridge Road today, with the Holly Lane Estate demolished and a wide road remaining. The houses on the left and Queensbridge Primary school in the distance, remain

Queensbridge Road remains wide all the way down to Hackney Road (with the exception of where it crosses the Regents canal) and so suffers from motor traffic (including lorries) travelling at high speed and making it an unpleasant road to cycle on

Queensbridge Road further south from the Middleton Road junction 

Therefore Queensbridge Road is an easy target for Hackney Council to upgrade as creating the space for cycle tracks could be achieved with no reduction in motor traffic capacity, as well as maintaining car parking, trees and street furniture. Another advantage is dealing with cycle tracks at the bus stops, as it carries just one bus route, the lightly used 236 to Hackney Wick, along the northern section of the road, with no buses at all using the southern end of the road.

In the consultation last year Hackney Council correctly described Queensbridge Road as a "busy distributor road" with "above average wide lanes, high traffic speeds and volumes for a 20mph road" and took the opportunity to create changes to a small section of it at the same time as upgrading the Quietway 2 crossing. This involved extending the pavements outside Queensbridge Road Primary School to "create a quiet space"

Before and after the changes on Queensbridge Road

I'm not sure how extended the footway slightly helps to create a quiet space, as the road remains just as busy as it was before. Very little extra space has been added for pedestrians as most of the space taken from the roadway has been reallocated to "greenery"

Which makes Queensbridge Road much worse if you're on a bike, as you now have to negotiate pinch points as you approach the school and are pushed closer towards lorries on the road 

It wasn't so long ago that there were four lanes of traffic outside this school so it seems a real wasted opportunity that this space was not instead used for protected cycle tracks to allow children, and their parents, to cycle safely to school here. A wide road still remains and children and most parents instead cycle on the pavement, rather than alongside lorries

Before and after: a child cycles on the pavement on one side of the road and visible in the distance is a parent cycling on the pavement  on the other side of the road, with a child on the back of their bike. I don't blame them. 

Even with the extended pavements the road does still remain wide, showing how there was ample space to create protected cycle tracks here 

In the delegated powers decision documents Hackney Council claimed that:

"narrowing the road will help change the nature of the road from a busy distributor road to a calmer road with reduced speeds but this might not be the ideal situation for cyclists"

Narrowing the road could have been achieved by creating protected cycle tracks of course, which actually could have resulted in an even narrower road here as the proposals:

 "were designed with minimum lane widths of 4.0 metres and meet the minimum requirements of the London cycling design standards. These were changed to 4.2 metres at the detailed design stage"

The consultation also states that the road was 11.8m wide before the narrowing, so instead of designing an 8.4m wide carriageway to accommodate cyclists on the road the vehicle lanes could have been 3m wide in order to create a 6m wide carriageway (the same width as Old Shoreham Road in Brighton). This would have left nearly 6m to create cycle tracks on both sides of the road, with a buffer or even some added greenery between the cycle tracks and the roadway

Hackney Council also claim that:

"an overall cycling level of service for Queensbridge Road would achieve a high level of service of 70+ if the proposed Central London Cycle Grid scheme is implemented"

Which is a different scheme entirely, for a much larger area, and hasn't been consulted on yet. The kerb build out was raised as an issue by members of the public in the consultation who were concerned about the future implementation of segregated cycle lanes here, and the council responded that

"this section will be traffic calmed and this rules out future segregated cycle lanes"

Which I'm pleased to hear the Mayor of Hackney disagrees with, but it does seem an odd decision to implement a narrower carriageway with these kerb build outs if they are only going to be demolished at a later stage to build protected cycle tracks. Surely the sensible option would be to build the cycle tracks here and then extend them the entire length of Queensbridge Road at a later date?

In their 2014-2024 ten year cycling plan Hackney Council stated that they want it to be second nature for anyone to cycle, no matter what their age, with a target of 5% of all school children cycling to school by 2024. We're now halfway through that plan and I don't see how Hackney will get anywhere close to that target with terrible schemes like this, directly outside a school, or how this fits in with creating "clear safe space for cyclists"

On Queensbridge Road Hackney Council have deliberately created poor road design in an attempt to force people cycling into a position very few people want to cycle in (also known as "primary position"). Children will not and should not be expected to cycle on narrow roads with thousands of drivers per day

The extended pavements (Queensbridge Road) will help reduce traffic speeds while the trees and shrubbery will help create a barrier to emissions and improve the air quality outside the school.

It is often damn scary to ride a bike on Queensbridge pic.twitter.com/dpc0TQVFFh

— filter more streets (@iambrianjones) 28 August 2018

As for the Quietway 2 crossing, it is now much safer and more comfortable to have a dedicated crossing over Queensbridge Road. However it was fantastic for several weeks last year, when these changes were being put in place, as Middleton Road was closed both sides of Queensbridge Road, resulting in a very quiet quietway



Since Middleton Road has reopened and the traffic lights have become operational I've been a regular user of this route and the main downside is just how busy Middleton Road is. Usually several motor vehicles will overtake you, only for you to overtake them at the Queensbridge Road traffic lights to get to the ASL (which are heavily favoured towards the busier Queensbridge Road meaning if you're on a bike you almost always seem to get a red light). Only for the same pattern to repeat itself over the second half of Middleton Road until you then have to overtake all the same vehicles again once you get to the lights at Kingsland Road. In an ideal world Middleton Road would have remained closed to motor traffic to allow a tiger crossing to be built over Queensbridge Road, giving cyclists priority

A cycle route I used in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, which has priority over the main road, with a cycle track on the main road as well. 

On the whole though, this is a much improved crossing on Quietway 2 and probably the best that could have been achieved at this location at the present time. It's encouraging to see Hackney Council continue to make improvements to Quietway 2 and they should be applauded for this. However the changes on Queensbridge Road are baffling and a real step backwards if you use this road on a bike

This was an opportunity to enable more children in Hackney to be able to safely cycle to school and improve a small section of Queensbridge Road. I look forward to future proposals to create this along the rest of the road but this is an opportunity missed to create safe space for cyclists.

The Greenway is now Quietway 22

The Greenway is a footpath and cycleway running for nearly five miles from Old Ford to Beckton, located on top of the Northern Outfall Sewer, which was built in the mid to late 1800's. Recently this five mile stretch has been renamed "Quietway 22", at a cost of £4.5m, and I suspect that TfL are declaring this upgrade as part of their "we've doubled the amount of protected space delivered under the previous mayor" claim.Whilst that would be a very dishonest thing for them to do there have been some improvements to the Greenway recently as part of the re-branding.

I first cycled on the Greenway back in 2003 when the section from Old ford, which currently cuts through the Olympic Park, went through the Marshgate Lane industrial estate instead. Back then this section was just a narrow shared path, in a pretty poor condition and littered with burnt out mopeds. Fast forward a few years and construction of the Olympic Park began, with the Greenway freshly resurfaced as it was used as a route for construction workers to access the park via Pudding Mill Lane DLR station, as well as a destination for people to view construction of the park, with a cafe built out of shipping containers opening in late 2009. During the Olympic Games there were plans for the Greenway to form two of the entrances for spectators to the games; for those on bike coming from Victoria Park and also for people coming via underground from West Ham station. Therefore in preparation the entire stretch from Old Ford to West Ham was upgraded prior to the Olympics, with separate paths for those on foot and on bike

As part of Quietway 22 lightning and CCTV has recently been installed to allow this route to be used 24 hours a day

The Greenway is dissected as the Great Eastern Railway and DLR lines cross it, this used to require a short diversion down to Marshgate Lane, before rejoining the Greenway immediately after the railway bridge

Marshgate Lane at the bottom of the Greenway in 2007

Marshgate Lane at the bottom of the Greenway in 2019

However this section of the Greenway, from Marshgate Lane to Stratford High Street, has been closed since 2009; initially for Olympic Park construction works, Crossrail then kept it closed and now Thames Water have taken over, meaning this stretch will soon notch up a decade of being closed, with no reopening date in sight. A new ramp was built several years ago from Marshgate Lane to the Greenway but remains fenced off

Prior to the closure of this section of the Greenway there was another barrier at Stratford High Street, literally barriers in the middle of a six lane road, meaning you had to cycle on the shared use pavement to Abbey Road to use the staggered crossing and return on the pavement on the other side of the road. The Olympic transport planners really wanted spectators to travel via West Ham and walk to the park along the Greenway, rather than use the Central or Jubilee line and risk overcrowding at Stratford. Therefore the West Ham route was heavily publicised, with the green sections of the greenway completely covered in asphalt and a new footbridge installed over Stratford High Street (visible on Streetview here) as well as a brand new direct pedestrian crossing underneath for those in wheelchairs or other mobility problems. A real shame then that the footbridge and direct crossing were only there for a few weeks of games time. The bridge was moved to the former coach park alongside for a few months before being dismantled and the direct crossing was reconfigured as a staggered crossing. Whilst a crossing does now exist for when the Greenway reopens at Stratford High Street, it'll take quite a bit longer to cross than it did during the games

It takes 1min 52secs to cross Stratford High Street to access the Greenway - AKA ‘Quietway 22’ pic.twitter.com/oz5ltYZPyp

— RossiBike (@RossiTheBossi) January 2, 2019

I feel it is a missed opportunity that the bridge here was not constructed as a permanent walking and cycling bridge, as has been achieved over Eastway, between Hackney Marshes and the northern section of the Olympic Park. On the bright side Stratford High Street does now have protected cycle tracks on it, constructed in 2013, extended to Aldgate in 2016 and currently being extended into the centre of Stratford 

The (rather narrow) separate cycling and walking paths continue to West Ham station, with green mostly restored



Shortly before West Ham station the steps at Abbey Road have been replaced with a ramp



Leading to a new toucan crossing which links up with a resurfaced Channelsea path, on top of the culverted Channelsea River, which (almost) links up with Stratford High Street

Back on the Greenway and the separate cycling and walking paths stop as soon as you pass the steps and long ramp to West Ham station and the Greenway looks very much the same as it did when I first cycled here over 15 years ago, except with lightning added and the odd "Q22" sign added to the light columns

And a new ramp down to the path through rugby pitches and the Plaistow memorial recreation ground



We then come to Upper Road where a toucan crossing greets us, after negotiating the various barriers designed to keep motor vehicles out



Most people don't bother to push the button and wait for the green man, instead opting to cross this not-very-busy road unassisted. It isn't a main road so a disappointment that as part of the quietway upgrade a tiger crossing wasn't installed, giving pedestrians and cyclist priority over motor vehicles.

A tiger crossing on the much busier Lower Clapton Road in Hackney, as part of Quietway 2

500m later we cross Balaam Street, where barriers force you to cycle a short distance along the pavement to reach the crossing, which is very mush favoured towards motor traffic on the road rather the pedestrians and cyclists on the greenway, so a lengthy wait can ensue



A helpful local resident has felt the need to install warnings that you might well be mugged at knifepoint here, a reminder that quietways are not always the best solution and why protected cycle tracks are required on main roads nearby also.



200m later we have to cross Barking Road, quite a busy road, again requiring you to cycle a short distance on the pavement to reach the crossing

and less than 200m on we have to cross Prince Regent Lane, our 4th signalled crossing in less than a kilometre

The route does then continue for the next 2km to the A13 junction at Beckton, where it meets Cycle Superhighway 3, obstruction free, except for one road crossing on a bus only route to Newham General Hospital, so a very quiet road but I still think priority should be given to the Greenway here, rather than the road.



Another new ramp has been constructed down to Lonsdale Avenue 

The new ramp under construction in the summer of 2018, now complete

Queitway 22 ends at the A13 Beckton Junction (although the Greenway continues onto Beckton sewage works) so connects up with Cycle Superhighway 3, which runs alongside the A13. This can take you to Barking heading east and to Canning Town if going west (or even as far as Paddington if you're willing to mix it with traffic on Poplar High Street). Unfortunately it'll take you some time to reach it as you have to stop and wait at seven different shared crossings to get to the other side of the road

It took 2mins 57secs to cross this junction. @Hackneycyclist pic.twitter.com/PzAfqA1PwN

— RossiBike (@RossiTheBossi) 2 January 2019

The ideal solution here would be a walking and cycling underpass linking the Greenway and CS3 under the A13 and also under Woolwich Manor Way, which would improve conditions for those on CS3 as well. An expensive solution but one that would be a routine upgrade for a junction like this in the Netherlands

Quietway 22 has brought a few small improvements to the Greenway, especially the lightning. However the lack of priority over roads and shared pavement facilities at Beckton and on Wick Lane at either end are a disappointment.

A safe, convenient traffic free walking and cycling route? Yes, the Greenway has been that for decades.

An increase under the Khan administration of the amount of protected space for cyclists, comparable to major road transformation projects such as those on Embankment, Whitechapel Road or Vauxhall Bridge under Boris Johnson? Absolutely not.