New and renovated Dutch stations will no longer have bicycle gutters on stairs
Maarten Zeehandelaar / Shutterstock.com
By Simone Jacobs
Dutch rail company ProRail has announced that due to safety concerns, new and renovated train stations in the Netherlands will no longer have bicycle channels on the stairs. Instead, cyclists will have to use ramps or elevators to get their bikes onto the platform.
Bicycle channels on Dutch train station stairs pose safety risks
Bicycle gutters are troughs that run along the side of stairs in train stations, allowing cyclists to easily push their bikes up the stairs instead of having to carry them or wait for the lift. Several people in the Netherlands take their bicycles with them on public transport and make use of bicycle channels to get their bikes onto train platforms.
However, according to ProRail, there have been a number of reports of people falling with their bicycles on the stairs due to these bicycle gutters in recent years. “For many people, pushing a bike up or down a gutter is difficult. And if someone slows down or trips, it creates unsafe situations, especially at busy stations,” wrote the rail company in a press release.
During peak travel periods, when people tend to rush through stations, the risk of falls and congestion increases. The rise in popularity of heavy e-bikes also makes using a bike channel more difficult.
Elevators and ramps to replace bicycle channels at Dutch stations
As safety concerns increase, ProRail has decided to leave out bicycle gutters when building new train stations or renovating existing stations. All newer stations are equipped with lifts or ramps, so people with bicycles can use these instead.
“This allows passengers with bicycles to safely travel from platform to tunnel or exit if they need to climb a hill. A bicycle fits easily in a lift, which is a safer way to move vertically than using stairs,” said ProRail. Many older stations, like those in Utrecht, Zwolle and Amsterdam, still have bicycle gutters at the moment, while recently renovated ones such as Ede-Wageningen and Groningen no longer do.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more