Source: The Guardian, Dutch News Image source: Fer Troulik, Unsplash

A short-term trial in the Dutch municipality of Houten, near Utrecht, has been implemented to test out the practicalities of introducing 20 km/h speed limits for cycle lanes, in an effort to deal with rising congestion and a broader mix of vehicle types using cycle lanes.

The two-week trial is taking place on Fossa Iberica in Houten, a 130-metre road that is en-route to the town’s rail station and a school, includes a low-visibility crossroads, and sees 4,000 users a day, with rush hour particularly busy. Cameras have been installed to measure the normal situation on the road, and speed limit signs have also been installed.  The cameras will not be used for enforcement, as cycles do not have license plates; however a research team will analyse the footage in due course.

Houten’s transport chief, Wouter van den Berg, spoke about the reasons that Houten volunteered to host the trial. “Traffic safety is ever more important because more and more different types of road users are on the bike paths. Speed pedelecs, fat bikes, racers, golf carts with children in them – you name it. So when the government suggested this pilot, Houten stuck up its hand.”

He also spoke about the issues of adjusting cycling infrastructure in the urban environment, with specific reference to the trial street, which can be viewed on Google Maps here. “It all starts with how you organise public space, the roads and the streets – especially in new developments – so that the slowest traffic gets priority. But here, you can’t widen the cycle lane, otherwise you’d be in people’s living rooms.”

Is speed the issue?

A variety of opinions have been voiced about the thinking behind the trial scheme. Local people spoke to current affairs programme Een Vandaag, with some highlighting that riders of standard bikes are unlikely to know their exact speed, while one woman commented, “This is all about cyclists on motorised bicycles, so I should think you would do something about motorised cyclists. Make a rule for them and not for all cyclists.” JanPeter Westein of the local cyclists’ association, Fietsersbond Houten, said that the group is happy to see its concerns being taken seriously, stating that he tends to avoid busy times, and highlighted a key use of the town’s cycle network: “Pretty much all of the primary schools in Houten are on the bike paths … and you don’t want parents to say they will take their children by car because it’s not safe.”

Kees Bakker, policy officer and consumer advisor of the national cyclists’ union, Fiestersbond, looked at the 20 km/h speed limit topic in detail ahead of the trial. He asked, “What problem does this solve?”, concluding that many cycle paths are too narrow for the current volume of traffic – and that speed limits will not address that. He also explores the often-made point that e-bikes can go faster, sharing insights that standard e-bikes only have an average cruising speed of 22.6 km/h, compared to 19.6 km/h on a traditional bike. Illegally souped-up e-bikes are, he acknowledges, sometimes a problem – but as they are illegal, he argues that enforcement against illegal use is the answer.