Illustration Gelderland Provincial Council After years of planning, discussion and controversy, there is a plan at last for the roads around the campus. And there is even an animation that brings the plans to life. It was made by the Provincial Council to accompany the ‘provisional design for the adjustment plan’. The real decisions are expected to be taken next summer.
Two issues stand out in relation to access to the campus. For traffic on the Mansholtlaan the roundabout at the main entrance to the campus will be replaced by traffic lights, with the aim of reducing traffic jams on the Mansholtlaan. Cyclists to and from the campus can then cross the Mansholtlaan without having to depend on the goodwill of car drivers.
For cyclists coming from town, a flyover at the Bornsesteeg junction should improve access to the campus considerably. The existing junction with traffic lights will go and traffic on the Nijenoord Allee will flow under the flyover. The flyover will be a ‘bicycle street’, which means cars play second fiddle and must give priority to cyclists.
Two lanes
Once the plans are implemented, you will only be able to cycle along the Nijenoord Allee on one side of the road. Westwards from the Bornsesteeg on the north side of the road, and eastwards on the south side. There will only be a cycle path down one side of the Mansholtlaan too in future. This will be a wide path on the east side of the road. The space this saves is needed for doubling the number of lanes the road will have.
The provisional design will be explained to the general public in an online meeting on Wednesday 26 January. Stakeholder groups will get their turn the day before. There will be rounds of public consultations on the definitive design before the summer, after which the government will announce its verdict on the plans. Construction will start at the end of this year at the earliest and will take at least until 2025.
