Met de fietssnelweg F24 veilig naar het werk

What is a Dutch “fietssnelweg” (bike highway)?

A fietssnelweg is a long-distance, fast-cycling route designed for daily commuters: wide enough for two-way traffic with overtaking, separated from cars where possible, and engineered for speed instead of sightseeing. The compound is fiets (“bike”) plus snelweg (“highway”). The Netherlands and Flanders both run national networks of them: Dutch routes are labeled with “F” plus a number (F35, F261), as are Flemish ones (F1, F24). Surfaces are smoothed asphalt, with tunnels often replacing traffic lights.

In this clip from Vlaams-Brabant, commuter Gert explains: “ik gebruik de fietssnelweg om snel en veilig tot op mijn werk te geraken, om in het groen te kunnen rijden” (“I use the bike highway to get to work fast and safely, and to ride through green spaces”).