Bicycle highway

The project consists of a 7 km route covered of smooth red asphalt, at least 3.5 m wide, between Breda and Etten-Leur. Cyclists have the priority at all intersections but one (traffic lights). Special attention was paid to trees to avoid root pressure under the tracks. Besides, three shelters have been placed along the route to inform cyclists about the road.

80% of the “highway” was financed by the provincial government, the city of Breda covering the rest, with a cost of about half a million euros per kilometer.

As a reminder, in 2007, 34% of all trips up to 7.5 km were made by bicycle in the Netherlands. In municipalities with high bicycle use, the risk of a cyclist being injured in a traffic accident is on average 35% lower than in municipalities with fewer cyclists.

Indeed, higher bicycle use often means lower car use, thus reducing the chance of conflict with car traffic. Besides, chances are higher that a car driver is also a bicyclist knowing how the latest behave. Finally, high bicycle use encourages greater bicycle policy support and investment for safer cycling infrastructures.