Wide bicycle lanes on both sides of the road should make the Beilervaart safer for cyclists. In addition, intersections are being made safer and the road surface is being renovated.
Work on the connection between Beilen and Hoogersmilde will start at the end of this month. Parts of the road have already been tackled, and the 9 kilometer long road will be completely tackled until the summer holidays next year.
Safety has been a concern of residents for years, and calls for improvements have been heard for almost ten years. “We are pleased that renovations are now actually going to take place. The road surface is so bad and outdated, it is full of cracks and unevenness,” says Bart van Dijk of the Beilervaart Traffic Working Group. “It’s good that it’s being fixed up.”
In the summer, cyclists come from Hooghalen and Beilen by road towards the Blauwe Meer. “But schoolchildren also use it. Various cycle routes pass by. In addition, there is a lot of agricultural traffic and freight traffic. It is the only road to many companies,” Van Dijk explains. “Cyclists, walkers and mobility scooters all use the same lane as other traffic at different speeds. The road gives an unsafe feeling.”
Cyclists are given space on the road with red bicycle lanes of 1.40 meters wide on either side. A separate cycle path turned out to be too expensive.
In total, the municipality of Midden-Drenthe attracts a maximum of 2,275,000 for road work. That money is spent on new asphalt and the installation of platforms at bridges and intersections.
“The new situation includes many traffic calming measures. Perhaps more than farmers would wish. It was a matter of finding a balance between what is appropriate in the countryside and road safety. You cannot turn the entire road into a residential area.”
Roadsides will be paved and overhanging greenery around intersections will be removed so that the view of side roads increases, says Van Dijk. “All in all, a positive story. The approach was always a clear cycle path. That turned out to be unfeasible. Perhaps in the future there will be a pool of money from Europe, for example, to promote cycling.”