Good Cycling Facility of the Week: 5th September 2019

This week's Good Cycling Facility is a service road, running alongside a main road in the Utrecht suburb of De Meern.

The road here has a 50kph speed limit, which is inappropriate for mixing with cycling. A parallel service road is the ideal cycling environment, with people cycling only mixing with the small numbers of vehicles accessing the properties along the service road.

The service road itself cannot be used as a through-route - it's closed off at the ends to motor traffic. However, each section of service road is connected up with cycle paths, with priority across every side road, meaning a smooth, effortless ride, alongside the main road. 

The service road is also well-separated from the main road, with a kerb, a hedge, and tree planting.