Study
How safe is the cycle path from Utrecht Science Park to Amersfoort?
Researchers know that cyclists don't feel safe in the tunnel. Photo: DUB
Last year, the murder of 17-year-old Lisa, who was cycling home from Amsterdam to Abcoude, sparked a public debate about how safe the streets are for women in the Netherlands. After the murder, the VVD party in the Utrecht City Council conducted a survey that revealed that many women feel unsafe on cycle paths to and from Utrecht Science Park (USP). The provincial authorities are now launching an official investigation into the route from Amersfoort to USP, whose results they argue can also be applied to other cycle routes.
Through-cycle route
The cycle route between Amersfoort and Utrecht is 21 kilometres long. It passes through or alongside Soest, Zeist and De Bilt, and will be extended to USP. The provincial authorities say the cycle path must be comfortable and fast, but also safe.
Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (HU) will carry out the research. “We want to know how safe cyclists of all genders perceive this route to be,” explains the researcher Mats Belgers. The HU team will not only ask cyclists to complete a questionnaire, but also review the literature and seek out people willing to cycle the route while wearing eye-tracking glasses. This will enable the researchers to discover what catches cyclists’ eyes along the way.
“We already know that industrial estates, tunnels, copses, bushes and walls along the road are perceived as unsafe. Lighting helps to create a greater sense of safety,” says Belgers. “Now, we want to know what specifically needs to be changed along this particular route. By providing safe routes, we hope that more people will choose to cycle.”
Belgers and his colleagues are still looking for participants who would like to contribute ideas on how to improve social safety along the cycle path. “We're looking for both men and women. They don’t need to cycle this route every day, nor do they need to cycle the entire route.” Those wishing to participate in the study can register here.
The results will lead to a recommendation to the provincial authorities next spring.
De doorfietsroute van Amersfoort naar Utrecht is de F28 - die loopt met een beetje goede wil langs Soest, maar dan via Den Dolder en Bilthoven naar De Bilt, niet via Zeist.