Photo Assignment #2

 


Aerial view of advisory bike lane facilities in Delft, the Netherlands.

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Facilities Assignment #1

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This is a roundabout in Delft, the Netherlands. The roundabout is designed to accommodate a variety of transportation modes, including bicyclists, pedestrians, vehicles, trams, buses, and emergency vehicles. Bicyclists approach the roundabout by cycle track or fietsstraat, a special type of street where space is shared and bicyclists have priority. A cycle track comprises the outer ring of the roundabout, separated from an inner one-way vehicle ring by segments of green space. Vehicles must yield to cyclists when entering and exiting the roundabout. A pedestrian walkway is located on all sides of the roundabout to the outside of the cycle track, with wide pedestrian markings provided on all crossings. Tram lines, a bus lane, and emergency vehicles using the bus lane all pass directly through the center of the roundabout, bisecting the vehicle and cycle track rings at 3 points. Vehicle signals and bicycle signals are located at each point to stop traffic for modes which take priority: t...
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City Cycling

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Bicyclists wait to cross a canal bridge, which has rotated to allow a boat through. In the Netherlands, bicyclist safety and comfort is developed through a series of low-stress bicycle routes which separate bicyclists from vehicular traffic on arterials or mix bicyclists with traffic on low speed, low volume roads where vehicles are treated as the "guest". These design choices are implemented to make bicycling appealing and comfortable for all potential bicyclists, including the old and the young. And indeed, some cities that have implemented such designs have achieved cycling mode shares of over 25%. I like the picture above because it demonstrates the sheer quantity of how many people use the bike facilities in the Netherlands. Here, bicyclists wait on a dedicated cycle track to cross a canal bridge which has rotated to let a boat pass through. The grey pavers to the right indicate the presence of a pedestrian walkway. Vehicles may also use the bridge. However, only one veh...
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Final Reflections

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"How was it?!" It's the easiest hardest most ubiquitous question to answer after an adventure like study abroad. Easy, because "It was great!" is the quick summative and socially normative, often eventually true response people want to hear. An awkward pause follows. A quick, mental swear word. Of course, the asker expects to hear more. You didn't prepare. What do they want to hear about? How do I support my claim? You choose a couple key takeaways, maybe show a picture or two. But no matter what you choose to describe, or how you describe it, it feels flat. You can't do justice to the experience in two sentences, and anyways, you're still processing it yourself.  My overarching reaction to this study abroad experience is 1) that I feel incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity, and 2) the last time a class impacted me so much, it was when I learned (from high school physics) that magic (electricity and magnetism) exists. I couldn't believe t...
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