Confused motorist drives into Utrecht underground bike parking

We’ve all taken a wrong turn at some point in our lives, but perhaps not quite such a major one: a car this week drove into the underground bicycle parking garage at Utrecht Centraal Station after getting confused over directions. As it’s not the first time this has happened, the municipality is investigating whether additional signage is needed.

Motorist gets confused and drives into Utrecht bike parking

The motorist apparently got confused about which way to turn as they approached the Hoog Catherijne Shopping centre, right next to the main station in Utrecht. Instead of following the route intended for cars, they drove down Smakkelaarshoek - a designated path for cyclists and pedestrians - and into the underground bike car park. 

Pictures taken by passersby and shared by RTV Utrecht show the car squeezed up against the wall at the entrance, right where cyclists “tap in” with their OV-chipkaart to use the parking facility, while two cyclists and a pedestrian look on, bemused. 

Incident is the third this year

It’s actually not the first time that a driver has made this mistake. In January this year, another two cars drove into the cycle parking facility. According to RTV Utrecht, the municipality has said it will now investigate whether measures are necessary to stop it from happening again, like adding additional road signs. 

“We want to emphasise that the cycle path is clearly marked and there is signage indicating that cars are not allowed to drive there,” a spokesperson told RTV Utrecht. “Nevertheless, we understand that repeated incidents can indicate a possible lack of clarity. "