Utrecht, in the Netherlands, is the country’s fourth-largest city, home to its second-oldest university, and proud of its world’s-largest bicycle parking garage with three stories of underground spaces for more than 12,000 bicycles, located at its central rail station.
On the other hand, it is puzzled by the fact that cars somehow end up driving down the ramp into the garage—three times already this year—and local TV stations are reporting that city officials are now trying to figure out why it happens.
Traffic expert Casper Stelling thinks the problem is unclear signage and GPS instructions, he told the broadcaster. “I see a car here that is looking where it has to go. It can’t go right, and it can’t go straight ahead either. So it has to turn around and go back… It is incredibly busy, and you have to pay close attention. So maybe people follow their navigation to determine where they are going. If your navigation says: you have to go in here, then I can imagine that you’ll do it.”
City officials told the station that they are now looking at the issue; after the two previous incidents, both of which happened in January, the municipality still found measures unnecessary. They emphasize that the bicycle path is clearly marked on the ground, but “Nevertheless, we understand that repeated incidents can indicate a possible lack of clarity.”
I am reminded of Einstein’s comment about the two things he thinks are infinite. 🙂