As the fall keeps drawing near, bringing a time when I can’t go out to ride for days or weeks in a row, I imagine how it would be to live in the Netherlands, the country that – from a distance, of course – sounds the best place to be for a cyclist.
A few quick facts about bikes and the Dutch: over a quarter of all their trips are taken using a bike, both in urban and rural areas (38% in Amsterdam), they have inter-city bike paths, as part of the Dutch National Cycle Network (a nationwide bicycle tourism network), they have a bike-friendly policy when planning and building their urban and rural infrastructure, and have several “woonerven” (living streets), that prioritize pedestrians and bikers over cars and other motor vehicles. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?
The latest addition to the list of facts that makes the Netherlands a biker paradise is the new cycle lane concept introduced by the scientists of the Wageningen University – the heated bike path.
Researchers of the university have been looking for ways to make biking easier and safer during the winters that tends to be harsh and cold in the northern areas of Europe. The authorities of Wageningen have built a trial portion of the heated lane last winter – a 54 yards long portion covered in heated concrete blocks. All the energy used for heating this path comes from renewable sources – it actually uses the heat stored in the soil to keep the path free of ice and snow during the wintertime.
This year the experiment has even gone one step further – not just that the concrete strip is heated, but it also got a “glow in the dark” paint job, so bikers can’t miss it in the dark of the night.
The new breed of bike paths has several great advantages. First of all, the heat prevents the ice to form a slippery film on its surface, making it an instant hazard for bikers. Besides, it eliminates the need to spread salt or sand on its surface – things that have the potential to slowly, but steadily destroy our two-wheeled companions. And for the fluorescent paint used for the markings – it does not require energy, as it charges itself during the day to glow all night long. A completely green solution with minimal costs that can save lives.
I would surely like to see this new technology spread through all the world, to help bikers like you and me travel around on winter nights in safety – to avoid mishaps like the one suffered a few years ago that forced me to browse our collection of online slots at slots.redflushcasino.com, tied to a hospital bed for days. Way to go, Wageningen.
Lou Gubrious loves to talk about bikes. Especially over a beer. Likes to ride bikes, too. Then drink a beer.