Good Cycling Facility of the Week: 24th September 2015

This week's Good Facility is an underpass under the railway line at Maassluis in the Netherlands. 

There are several good features here - firstly, because the cycleway is separate from the road, it doesn't have to dip down as much as the road to pass under the railway line. Only the height of someone cycling has to be accommodated, not an HGV, so the slope up and down is shallow.

In general, underpasses are a better solution in this context anyway, as the speed gained on the downslope can be transferred to the upslope - unlike with a bridge.

The path is also wide, with a separate footway. There is forgiving kerbing between the footway and the cycleway, reducing the risk of an accident, and also maximising the cycleway's effective width. Equally, the width of the cycleway isn't compromised by the railings - there is clear 'extra' distance between the marked edge and the railings.

One final detail is the 'flat' section in the ramp, which provides a break for those less able to climb the ramp in one go.