Category: Expertise

When visiting or seeing pictures of Dutch cycling lanes and cycling streets, the red colour of the asphalt catches the eye. Colour is a key feature used by street designers to influence user behaviour. Among other things, it helps the cycling infrastructure stand out as distinct from parts of the road which are primarily used by motor vehicles. Despite the prevalence of the colour red in Dutch cycling infrastructure, it is not a standard written in law. This hasn’t stopped the spread of Dutch-inspired red cycle lanes in the Netherlands and around the world.

Why is the Cycling Infrastructure in the Netherlands Red?

First, it is important to consider the questions planners ask when designing cycle-friendly infrastructure. The answers to these questions are largely answered in one book: The CROW Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic. This guide was first published in 1993, revised in 2006 and then released in English in 2016. It includes guiding principles for policy and design sheets. These are often used as best practice, but the actual aim of the manual is to provide guidance as it is “meant for inspiration for a creative design process not as designs that are set in stone”. The guiding principles of designing cycle-friendly infrastructure, as set out by CROW, are cohesion, directness, attractiveness, safety, and comfort for the user.

Why is Colour So Important?

Colour is used as a design tool, enabling engineers to make something clear to road users. For example, it can: indicate a cycle lane on a road, emphasise a cycle lane’s right of way at a junction or indicate a cycling street. By making road users more aware of cycling infrastructure, the flow and presence of cyclists becomes more predictable. The resulting increase in visibility and awareness makes the infrastructure feel safer for cyclists.|Where Did Red Come From?

In 1977, the Netherlands looked to begin a trial for dedicated cycling routes and Tilburg was selected as a demonstration city. The city wanted to use a single colour for two different reasons: to get publicity for the route, and to connect all the cycle paths in the city together as a network. In looking to have a unifying colour, Tilburg provided the first example of incorporating cohesion as a guiding principle within cycling infrastructure.

In the 1970s, paths were mostly constructed with tiles, which in the Netherlands were commonly black, yellow or red. Tilburg incidentally selected red as their unifying colour and the first red cycle path (“het rode fietspad”) was born. 

The reason behind the choice of red is not fully known, although it is said that at the time red tiles may have been the most readily available and the cheapest colour. Considering the building materials used in the Netherlands, this doesn’t seem unsurprising. The Netherlands, located on a delta with rivers including the Ijssel, the Rhine and the Waal, has many clay deposits and if iron was present then this led to red bricks commonly being used in the construction of Dutch buildings. Whilst brickmaking was introduced in the Netherlands by the Romans, the English word ‘brick’ may have dutch origins, and ‘Dutch Brick’ a red tinted brick is synonymous with Dutch architecture. 

Whilst historical, tiles are still used today where speeds need to be low for safety, such as city centres. The vibrations cause discomfort and all road users naturally slow down. Tiles are also modular which allow maintenance to be done more easily if underground pipes and cables need to be accessed. After work is complete, they can often be replaced, meaning that maintenance costs and waste can be reduced.  

However, after 1990, asphalt became a readily available and more desirable option for most cycle paths; due to its higher load-bearing capacity, ride comfort (where accepted safety is achievable) and reduced risk of damage from vegetation. Asphalt can be coloured by adding pigments. Iron oxides are used to create the red colour in powdered pigments, and since 1999, Ventraco has produced coloured pellets from these pigments. By combining the pellets with red aggregates sourced from Europe, they manufacture their ColorFalt red asphalt, as well as other coloured options. 

Colouring asphalt increases its cost by approximately 40% compared to traditional black asphalt. However, if only the top layer—2 centimetres (¾ inch)—is coloured, the additional upfront investment is relatively limited, ranging from about 10% to 20%. 

Ventraco’s founder, Jeroen Venema, explains: “A precise balance between pigment, type of bitumen, filler, and aggregate is key for achieving the best and longest-lasting result”. 

Despite the extra cost, given the surface’s lifespan of 20- to 25-years, coloured asphalt is seen as a more cost-effective approach compared to paint. A thermoplastic painted coating is only ever seen as a short term solution, due to its low durability not being suitable to the Netherlands climate and due to the high load on the road surface created by vehicles. This means that the colour fades within a few years, which unfortunately is beginning to happen to the world’s longest rainbow cycle path at Utrecht University. Paint changes the surface of the road surface and when considering the road surface to be used in the infrastructure, the CROW manual advises that the following criteria need to be considered, mainly for safety: Evenness, skid resistance and texture, drainage and rolling resistance. 

|Is Red the Best Colour for Cycling Infrastructure?

According to CROW, cohesion is important to maintain the recognisability and predictability of cycling networks. Indeed, this study indicates that people are more positive about a cycle infrastructure if they are familiar with the colour. With ‘Het Rode Fietspad’ in Tilburg being a success, perhaps other cities wanted to replicate the successful trial.  

Another factor is that red tiles have historically been more easily available, and cheaper, which has seen them being used throughout the Netherlands. This is the same with red Dutch bricks, which have been used to construct houses throughout the country. With this linking theme of red houses and red cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands, it could be argued that attractiveness is also enhanced, through a total design approach in both cycle infrastructure and wider urban planning. This is quite an important factor in the Netherlands, as a country with limited space, urban planning is highly considered. The country even has a ‘Welstandscommissie’, who “are responsible for making sure all new constructions or modifications follow a rigorous guideline”. Attractiveness and beauty are obviously in the eye of the beholder, but if the beholder is holding rigorous guidelines, then there is no arguing. 

Despite a Welstandscommissie and guidelines, there is no law regulating the colour of cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands. Whilst CROW manual states that the effects are “supposed to have a beneficial effect on comfort and road safety. Nevertheless, none of this has been unequivocally corroborated by research” (p.180). This is why there is no law in the Netherlands making a particular colour for the cycling infrastructure standard and why you also have yellow being used to maintain historical similarities, such as in Rotterdam and nature areas. The yellow used is strikingly like another famous Dutch brick, IJsselstein’s, which are a slightly lighter yellow, compared to redder Dutch Bricks. On top of yellow, an even greater array of colours being used here. 

“Coloured asphalt should not be directly compared to traditional black asphalt. When applied, it serves several purposes: it can be practical (offering high comfort for road users and quick reopening to traffic), aesthetic, but most importantly, it enhances traffic safety. Coloured asphalt increases awareness, guides traffic and creates a clear and understandable traffic situation. It makes more sense to compare coloured asphalt with a coating or, for example, coloured paving stones. After all, you can’t put a price on traffic safety, can you?” – Ventraco

In conclusion, red cycle paths in the Netherlands are a result of using the materials around them, a desire for a cohesive road network in an attractive urban environment, and most importantly a willingness to invest in improved safety. What initially seems like such a simple question, actually reveals a fascinating case study to explore the many different design considerations needed to make cycle-friendly infrastructure.

Fietsplatform gathers data on recreational cycling, conducts additional research, and actively focuses on knowledge sharing. Their new ‘National Knowledge Report on Recreational Cycling 2024’ and the accompanying ‘Factsheet on Recreational Cycling in the Netherlands’ align perfectly with these efforts.

The new research covers a variety of topics, including participation in recreational cycling, the profile of recreational cyclists, cycling holidays, and the overall appreciation of different aspects of cycling.

Cycling is one of the most popular holiday and leisure activities in the Netherlands. The Dutch are avid cyclists, making an impressive 262 million recreational cycling trips lasting an hour or more each year (for those aged 18 and above). The data also shows that in The Netherlands, Germans make 3 million day trips annually where cycling is the primary activity, while Belgians account for 1 million similar trips.

Eric Nijland, director of Fietsplatform, says:

As last year, the report contains a compilation and comparison of both national and provincial research figures. Provinces have informed us that they appreciate this benchmark opportunity.

The findings from this report contribute to the development of recreational cycling policies and products. The factsheet highlights the economic impact of recreational cycling and cycling holidays, noting that Dutch cyclists generate 1.8 billion euros in revenue from cycling tours lasting an hour or more. Additionally, day trips by foreign cyclists contribute 460 million euros to the Dutch economy.

Visit Fietsplatform’s website for more information.

Portland is often referred to as the cycling capital of the United States, and for good reason! They have long invested in bicycle infrastructure which has created a strong cycling culture in the Pacific Northwest city. We sat down with Peter Koonce, of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, to learn about their implementation of Dutch-style countdown timers in Portland.

Through a connection with the Dutch Cycling Embassy, in 2020, he reached out to Technolution (#DCENetwork), who were able to ship the same countdown-timers that you see in the Netherlands, all the way to Portland. The signals have been a big success so far, leading to hope for broader implementation across the US.

This year, the Dutch Cycling Embassy celebrates its 12.5-year anniversary. To document and celebrate the global impact the DCE and our network has had over that period, we are highlighting multiple projects. This article is part of the series #DCELegacy.  

Could you introduce yourself and tell us about Portland as a cycling city?

My name is Peter Koonce, I live in Portland, Oregon and have been working on traffic signals and intelligent transportation systems for almost 30 years. I’m the Division Manager for Signals, Street Lighting, ITS, & Electrical Maintenance for the transportation bureau, which is the transportation department for the City of Portland.

Portland and Oregon have been fortunate to have leadership on bicycling since the 1970s with a governor that signed a law that required public government agencies to invest a percentage of all transportation funding into cycling.

For more than 20 years, Portland, Oregon has had the highest rate of bicycle commuting of any major American city, according to U.S. Census Bureau surveys. Decades of community advocacy and political leadership have combined to create an environment where biking is a highly visible and widely accepted way for people to meet their daily needs for trips to work, shopping or school.

In 1993, Portland was the first U.S. city to create a local action plan for cutting carbon emissions. Increasing bicycling has been identified as one of the key strategies for reducing emissions. State, regional and city transportation plans and policies call for continuing to grow bicycle use.

We’ve had amazing leadership both at the local and state before I started working for the city. So, there’s always been steady progress to build a network of facilities that, within the city, make it reasonable to cycle for your daily trips.

I grew up in the city. When I was a teenager, I didn’t ride my bike as there wasn’t the infrastructure that I felt was reasonable. As I started commuting, I found that the infrastructure was okay. Now, it’s been 20 years since I’ve been here working on projects, and I do find it getting better and better.

How is Portland using signalization to make it safer and better for people getting around by bike? 

Within the traffic engineering industry in the US, we have a standard document, it’s the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) which is clear on what is allowed from displays of traffic signals. When you visit The Netherlands, you see other ideas that are presented that are working quite well.

Adopting some of the ideas about how traffic signals are oriented towards multimodal travel has been something that isn’t common in the U.S., so we’ve had to look outside of the US for solutions to meet our goals of improving the cycling infrastructure. In comparing US practice with Dutch and international practice in general, we are less oriented around cycling. In fact, a lot of the complaints from cyclists are that traffic signals don’t detect them. It’s a key challenge for us as engineers trying to design to make sure that the traffic control will work for all travelers.

The City works tirelessly to close the gap between policies and engineering practice. In Portland, the policies are very much oriented to asking us to improve the conditions for cycling. So, if we’re going to get to 25% of our trips by bike, similar to Dutch cities, then we need to make sure that the basic needs are met. So, at any traffic signal that the cyclist is detected and maybe at certain intersections, they’re prioritized beyond what other modes would be. That’s not at all of our 1,100 traffic signals in Portland, but certainly there are a few that are key routes where we give highest priority to people biking and walking

How did bringing Dutch-style bike signals to Portland come about?  

The first step that we took was to implement the small nearside signals. I think we spent over a year trying to buy one of those, because several years ago no one in the U.S. used them. We talked to several manufacturers, and there was no market, so nobody wanted to ship to us. Then we finally got one, and it was not a countdown timer. Simply a three-signal display.

During a subsequent visit to the Netherlands, they [countdown timers] seemed to be everywhere. I came back to the U.S., again, and still couldn’t buy them. But then I visited Austin, Texas, and they had a detector confirmation indication, which was a simple blue light, that along with a sign told cyclists, you’ve been detected. And I said, that’s a simple idea, let’s try that.

But it was clear that’s less intuitive than the countdown timer. Finally,  we talked to the Dutch Cycling Embassy and through their support, got to a vendor (Technolution) that would ship Dutch nearby signals directly to us. Now, we can try them out much more robustly, and then study it as a part of a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Request To Experiment (RTE). The FHWA RTE is the formal process to change the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

Our colleagues at Oregon State University have worked collaboratively with the City to assess and document the performance of these devices  and then publishing research that will make the case for why a Dutch-style countdown would be a good thing to incorporate into a future MUTCD.

A recent peer reviewed paper authored by Dr. David Hurwitz and his team of students at Oregon State indicated that “The average percentage of users who committed a red-light violation decreased from 30.8% to 14.8% and the average wait time increased by +5.4 seconds with a median increase of +3.6 seconds.” (Carr, S. 2024)

The next step is to try to find another city that’s willing to implement these. With additional cities, we can get sufficient data points where we can understand that this is not just a Portland or Dutch thing. Comparing U.S. or Dutch cyclists, there are different expectations about how traffic signals will perform, but ultimately we’re not that different. We don’t want to stop, and we all would like to avoid delay if and when we can.

So, if you don’t see the traffic signal or don’t believe it’s working for you, you’re less likely to stop at the red light and wait for your turn. And if it’s that delay is over two minutes, then, especially if it’s raining, that will make anyone impatient. In Portland, the signals are programmed to make sure that those delays are as reasonable as possible, and certainly less than two minutes.

On social media, there’s people that say, whenever they see a blue light (we’ve installed many of those because they’re cheaper than a countdown timer) they think it’s a high five from the city traffic engineer. So, if we were to invest more holistically in those devices, I think there’d be more people thinking that we’re giving them a high five out there as they bike around the city, which is great. It’s a subtle thing that we can do to give people a clear indication that they’ve been detected.

Were there any surprises or challenges along the way?  

One of my other favorite stories was the electrical supervisor who said, “No, we can’t, we can’t fit these [small countdown timers] on the truck. There’s just no space. we have too many things.” And I said, “I’ll put them underneath my office desk. If they get broken, just call me, I’ll put it on my bike and I’ll bike it out there to you. And we’ll replace the broken signal.” I think then he realized that I really was committed to this installation if I’m willing to bike out all hours of the day.

You have also been taking people from around the U.S. on tours of Portland to inspire bicycle infrastructure in their city. Tell us more about that. 

I think it’s a natural outcome of being an early adopter. In Portland, we have a culture of wanting to try things differently and wanting to inspire. If we’re really thinking about the designs that we do on a daily basis, it only takes a bit more energy to consider, how can we subtly improve to make the policy match the performance of the transportation system? So, if we’re saying we want more people to choose bikes for their health or for transportation, then we should improve the design accordingly.

We tend towards having visitors come to Portland to see how we’ve done things and how it’s working for us. It’s nice to be able to share the knowledge and let knowledge serve our city and then also other cities. It’s not just our experience that is going to change the practice.

Paris has introduced a state-of-the-art bicycle parking facility at Gare du Nord, accommodating up to 1,200 bicycles. With direct access from the cycling network, integrated wayfinding with real-time indication of available spaces and a personal welcome at the entrance, it draws inspiration from facilities at Amsterdam and Utrecht Central station. The new parking at Gard du Nord provides a solution for short and long-distance travelers, as well as local residents.

The design incorporates key elements familiar from Dutch bike parking facilities, including two-tiered racks, a guarded entrance, and repair stations. The facility is strategically positioned for easy access by bike from the bidirectional cycling route and offers a direct route to the station. This project fits into the larger project of transforming Paris into a more bike and pedestrian friendly city ahead of the Olympics and beyond.

Movares (#DCEnetwork) was a natural choice of partner when this project came to life. Their work, covering stations with 120 to 12.000 bike parking spots, includes some of the most impressive in the Netherlands. We sat down with Simone Jorink and Aimee Baars from Movares to learn more about the story of this project and what it involved.

This year, the Dutch Cycling Embassy celebrates its 12.5-year anniversary. To document and celebrate the global impact the DCE and our network has had over that period, we are highlighting multiple projects. This article is part of the series #DCELegacy.|Introduce yourself. What is your role at Movares and how were you involved in the Gard du Nord project?

Aimee: At Movares, I work as a designer, primarily focusing on urban design projects, though my background is in architecture. Over time, I transitioned towards landscape architecture and urbanism, which naturally includes cycling infrastructure—a key area of expertise in the Netherlands.

I also really enjoy international projects. I think it doesn’t really happen that often that you get to work with people in France and within the context of Paris. A city I really enjoy visiting myself. When I heard about this opportunity, I was instantly excited to be part of it.

Simone: My background is in building technology, with a strong interest in human behavior, which naturally led me to specialize in consulting on bike parking over the past years.

At Movares, we’ve designed numerous bike parking facilities for Dutch train stations, ranging from indoor facilities to outdoor spaces with small roofs that account for two-thirds of the total parking capacity at stations. The demand for high-quality indoor facilities continues to grow as the numbers of cyclists using the bike-train combination is still growing and the value of the bike itself is rising. We love to work on these complex puzzles in areas where space is limited and the location of the bike parking itself is key for its success.

I quickly saw the potential to apply our expertise to other densely populated areas where cycling is on the rise. We are now also using our extensive knowledge on strategies for inner cities and the design of indoor facilities in the city centers.

Working on this diverse range of projects has allowed me to gain a lot of knowledge, not just from a technical perspective, but also in areas like project financing, market innovations, and operational strategies.

In May 2021, there was a call on the DCE platform from Inddigo, which is a consultancy firm based in Paris. They thought it would be a good idea to implement Dutch knowledge in the study they were about to start on bicycle parking for 19 stations in the Île-de-France region on behalf of Île-de-France Mobilités. After an online introduction we were very excited to be selected. This project in Paris is our first bike parking project abroad. The project has been a true inspiration for us as we’ve seen the city evolve over the past few years becoming a more cycling friendly city. We visited the city every half a year and were amazed by the fast transition.

In 2022, you brought a group to the Netherlands to look at different bike parking solutions. How did that help them understand how we do it here and what was suitable for the Paris context?

It was incredibly valuable. The biggest part was that we invited not only Inddigo and Île-de-France Mobilités, but also other key stakeholders in the project, including RATP, SNCF and the City of Paris. It was really useful for them to spend a few days together, also to get to know each other in a more informal, personal way, and experiencing the examples as a group.

It was eye-opening for them to see how seamlessly bike parking is integrated into complex station areas, making it an essential part of the train journey, since half of the travelers arrive by bike. The group happily cycled through the Stationspleinstalling and were impressed by the scale of it.

We’ve also made clear that the situation wasn’t always like this. To provide context, we shared before-and-after photos of some of the stations we visited, illustrating the transformations these areas have undergone. Even we sometimes forget how quickly these spaces have evolved—remember ‘the sea of bikes’ around Utrecht Central station?! It wasn’t that long ago.

We didn’t want to visit the ‘usual suspects’ only. We went to one of our own projects at House Modernes in Utrecht to showcase a smaller-scale facility which facilitates cyclists going to the city center and offering services like lockers and strollers to use. In Amsterdam we focused mainly on suburban stations and the city center where car parking and existing buildings are transformed into neighborhood bike parking. On the way to The Hague, we made a stop in Gouda, a less frequently visited site by international groups, where we demonstrated a variety of bike parking options—indoor, outdoor, free, and paid.

The tour also highlighted the importance of financial planning and operational aspects, which is often overlooked when focusing solely on spatial design. By highlighting our discussions on these topics throughout the project, we helped them see that the final product is the result of years of collaboration and effort by many involved parties.|Did you experience different perspectives on bike parking coming into a French environment?

Our partner Inddigo had already worked on the subject before and Île-de-France Mobilités is active in a wide range of cycling projects as a financer. As a financer, it is sometimes difficult to be heard as they are not the project owner. Working together with us gave them the opportunity to advise on solutions that were already implemented and working. This was an impulse for the project. It gave them power to negotiate and convince. A project at the scale of Gare du Nord was totally new for them. We didn’t design the architecture, that is the great work of AREP. We did have a lot of influence on the set-up of the parking itself. How you arrive at the entrance, ideas on the check-in check-out system and the placement of the racks and different types of bikes.

It is important to think about the local context. The train stations in the Netherlands are different than, of course, metro stations in Paris. Our train network is dense and cycling from and to the station expands your reach enormously. For some of the metro stations in Paris it is not that logical to cycle to these stations. You’ll probably cycle all the way to your destination in stead of combining your journey with a metro trip.

At first, we thought we could handle a part of the investigative work, such as mapping traveler routes, station entrances, and exits. However, it quickly became clear that Inddigo’s local expertise was crucial. We were impressed with the depth of their analysis. Working in a different context—especially abroad—offered us fresh insights into their methods and tools, some of which we don’t typically use.

The approach within Paris towards bike parking is to also make it aesthetically pleasing. In the Netherlands, our approach is more focused on practicality during the start of the project. We prioritize the location, safety, vandalism resistance, and ease of use. In Paris they are quite strict in regard to adding new layers to historical heritage. Some of the larger stations like Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est and Gare de Lyon are older, monumental buildings. Implementing bike parking in these contexts often demands an aesthetic view.  The bike parking sites we visited were visually appealing, but sometimes fell short on functionality. Over time, neglect set in—glass walls were broken, wood paneling was vandalized, and cleanliness suffered.

We experience it more and more in the Netherlands as well, but theft is really an issue in a lot of countries. The system we have in the Netherlands where you check in and check out with your public transport card, is a system they didn’t agree on, for them that didn’t feel safe enough. We’re very interested in how this facility will work because we are used to the first 24 hours for free and they are now trying another concept.

The exchange between these different perspectives was incredibly valuable. It should be secure, durable, and functional, while also being visually appealing and inviting for users. Gare du Nord offers both and functions as an important landmark showing cyclists they are welcome to arrive by bike. We are incredibly proud to have contributed to this project and pleased with the knowledge we’ve gained by working together.

The following is part of a publication by Tour de Force.

35% of all people travelling a short distance to work by car would not mind cycling. As shown in a recent survey from MarketResponse. However, change is a complicated matter. Convenience and habits play an essential part. The car is parked outside the house, the car keys are up for grabs, and the bicycle is parked at the back of the shed. However, the employer also plays an important role. The reimbursement of travel expenses partly determines an employee’s chosen mode of transport.

So far, promoting cycling to work has primarily been a government initiative. However, cycling to work can also be appealing from the employees’ perspective. A perspective that is still underemphasised in some collective labour agreements. Improving conditions for employees who cycle into work can contribute to good employment practices and vitality and prevent illness-related absenteeism. However, a good bicycle scheme also involved a financial aspect, which becomes even more crucial in times of declining purchasing power and high fuel prices. A proper bicycle allowance can provide financial support for an employee who lives within a cyclable distance from work.

Tour de Force and Natuur & Miles have prepared this publication to show employee representatives in trade unions and work councils how to encourage commuting by bicycle. A part of these cases has been contributed by Lease a Bike and Hellorider, two companies that provide bicycles.

Why encourage cycling to work?

Bicycles deserve a significant role in an employer’s mobility policy. The bicycle fits a growing demand for sustainable business travel and aligns with the increasing focus on health and vitality. We have outlined the positive aspects of commuting to work by bicycle:

• The bicycle is fast, often just as quick or quicker than travelling by car, specifically in an urban environment.
• Cycling is health: individuals aged 55 and older who cycle have the immune system of 20 years olds.
• Cycling is sustainable, with no emissions of CO2, particular matter, or other harmful substances.
• Bicycles take up less parking space than cars.
• The bicycle is cheaper than a car or the train.

Download entire report to learn more about promoting cycling to work and the financial possibilities:

Photo: Bas de Meijer