Left: A picture of Koningsweg in Utrecht, taken on 6/27, looking Southeast. Annotations mark pertinent dimension information. 

For the first facilities overview, this blog will be focusing on a section of advisory bicycle lanes I found when I biked to Utrecth from Houten on 6/27. This section of Koningsweg uses advisory bicycle lanes for a suburban area that goes on for approximately 500 meters. Car parking for these households is kept on the side of the main roadway, with large trees dividing sections for different households. The pedestrian sidewalk is on the outside of these as well. 

This section serves as an excellent example of how advisory bicycle lanes work well in residential neighborhoods where speeds and car traffic are low. With this type of infrastructure design, cars are expected to drive along the center of the road and bicyclists are advised to go along the sides. Because there is only one official lane, car traffic in opposing directions must pull over and yield for one to pass before retaking the center. But for bicyclist traffic, passing is as easy as simply going into the middle lane and passing. This type of roadway design accomplishes each of the following: 

• Encourage cycle traffic through increased convenience, speed, and safety. 

• Reduce car traffic through slow speeds, single lane approach, and bollards (unseen) at the end of the residential zone. 

• Prevents excess street-side car parking with trees as a buffer, which also make the area more pleasant. 

We saw advisory bicycle lanes in several areas throughout the Netherlands. As a whole, I think it is a great example of a redesign for two lane roadways that promotes cyclist and pedestrian traffic modes while reducing the speed and number of car traffic. Since this type of design primarily uses repainting of the roadway, I could see it being implemented in residential zones throughout the USA.