Organisation - September 9, 2009

Bornsesteeg is too busy

During the rush hour, 8000 cyclists use the Bornsesteeg. This makes Wageningen's country lane busier that Utrecht city centre.

Cyclists, pedestrians and deliveries on a 'country lane'

The Bornsesteeg appears to be one of the busiest bicycle routes in the Netherlands, although its infrastructure is still below par. 'It's just a country lane', says lecturer Jasper de Vries. Students have conducted research into the traffic situation around the Wageningen campus for the Transport, Traffic and Infrastructure course. 'The measurements were taken in March and April, whereas it's even busier now. I expect that it will only get busier as the campus is being developed further. The new bus will also be plying this route.'
Given the amount of recorded traffic, it is not surprising that most of the cyclists feel unsafe along the lane. De Vries: 'We have conducted a hundred interviews. Although no one has actually said that it's very dangerous, it's not great either to cycle here during rush hours. It's chaos. There are no pavements and there's not enough space at the traffic lights. Trucks making deliveries plough past, while cars try to sneak through all that traffic. You'll come across broken road dividers which were only put in last year.'