Bike Highway: Delft to Rotterdam (Hector)

 

Bike Highway from Delft to Rotterdam:

 

I chose to ride the bicycle highway from Delft to Rotterdam. It is a fairly simple and straightforward route starting in the center of Delft and ending at the Euromas in Rotterdam.  The route consists of  major parts: Delft, Rotterdamseweg, Defltsweg, Zweth and the remainder of the trip following the river Schie.

Overall it is very bike friendly. Considering the highways connects to major cities in Holland it is impressive how the dutch have managed to make it in a way that cyclist travel safely and stress free. Most of the route consists of separated bicycle infrastructure and the remaining part is on very quiet roads where there is not allot of traffic and cars tend to drive slowly.

  • Delft:

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Above is a picture in the city of Delft showing what route to take to go to Rotterdam via the bike highway. From this point there are two more signs that point where to head making it very easy to find the route from inside the city. This part of the route is characterized by a series of fietstraats which are “bicycle street” where cars are guests in the road. Although this part of the highway does not have much separated bicycle infrastructure it  is completely stress free and bicycle friendly.

 

  • Rotterdamseweg:

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After leaving the center of Delft one continues along the street Rotterdamseweg. This street is characterized by a separated cycle track in a calm and relaxing environment. As seen on the two pictures above, bikes are completely separated by car traffic. Also since this road is not a main road from delft to Rotterdam, there is not that much of traffic. Therefore the noise is low along this road.

 

  • Zweth:

 

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At the end of Rotterdamseweg one encounters the small and charming town of Zweth. It is very initing to bicycle traffic since there is very little traffic along this town. It does change from a separated cycle track to advisory lanes. Still, low traffic and quiet roads makes this part of the trip very enjoyable.

 

  • Delftsweg

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After leaving the small town of Zweth, one continues on Delftweg. This road starts as a separated cycle track (as seen on the first picture above) and then transitions to a bike lane on one side and a cycle track on the other (as seen on the second picture above). Much like the other parts of the route it is pleasant since there is little traffic along the road. Also it runs along the canal making the view very charming and enjoyable. Not every day you get to bike from one city to another along a canal as beautiful as this one shown above.

  • Remainder of the trip along the River Schie:

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After leaving Delftweg one continues along the canal in a separated cycle track. Personally this was the highlight of the bicycle highway. There is no car traffic near the cycle track meaning it is extremely peaceful when biking along it. After enjoying biking this route, one finishes right under the Euromast. If you ever are around Rotterdam, I highly considering visiting this site.

 

  • Logistics:
    • Length: 14 km
    • Stops (Yields and Stoplights): 6
    • Roundabouts: 0
    • Percentage of route on smooth surface: 80%
    • Percentage of stand alone bike infrastructure: 10%
    • Percentage of cycle tracks: 70%
    • Percentage of route with lighting: 100%

 

  • Conclusion:

In conclusion the bike highway effectively connects Delft to Rotterdam and offer an alternate route for commuters to take. It is very bike friendly and stress free route. Apart from the incredible bicycle infrastructure, the surrounding of the bike highway are beautiful. From the canals, to the greenspaces and to the Euromast at the end of the route, this trip is very inviting for all types of cyclists.