Student - April 7, 2011

This is how to ride a bike in Wageningen!

A new cycling website has been created for foreigners. It tells you that Hoooooooo..... means stop.

There are people from more than one hundred different countries studying and working in Wageningen, and they often have difficulty coping with Dutch roads. Anyone who cycles or drives much in Wageningen will regularly come across examples of foreigners exhibiting dangerous behaviour in traffic. But that may change. The municipality of Wageningen will be launching a website (www.cyclinginwageningen.nl) in Forum on 7 April designed to teach foreigners how to ride a bike on the Wageningen roads.
The site was commissioned by the municipality of Wageningen and created by staff and students at Wageningen UR in collaboration with the company Mobycon. The website is in English, with the exception of one or two common Dutch words. They are to be found in the rather worthy Tips & Tricks section: "'Hoooooooo', with the 'o' sound as in 'go'; this yell means that you should stop."
There is also a lot on the site about traffic signs and traffic rules, in particular the rules for right of way. 'But beware; if you have the right of way it does not mean that you will get the right of way.' The associated photos are of Wageningen, i.e. of Wageningen traffic situations and featuring international students. The site also contains summary information about bicycle repair shops, bicycle accessories, bicycle hire and so on.