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In the Netherlands I've often seen that there is a street for cars and an (often 2-lane) separate cycle path, but no dedicated sidewalk.

What do I do as a pedestrian then? Is it okay to simply walk on the cycle path? And what if there is no street and only a cycle path, marked with a blue sign with the word 'fietspad' written in white, can I walk or jog there?

Edit Here is an image of such a configuration:

Fietspad next to street as seen on Google Maps

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    Can you post an image of such a configuration?
    – phoog
    May 30, 2018 at 6:49

1 Answer 1

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Yes, if there is no dedicated sidewalk, you may use the cyclepath as described here (in Dutch)

Google translate of the relevant text:

You walk on the pavement or footpath (sign G7). If it is not there, you can walk on the bike path and bike / moped path. If those are missing, it is allowed to walk on the roadway.

IMO it's advisable to walk on the left side of the path, so that you see traffic coming, and you won't be surprised by cyclists passing you.

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  • Wouldn't "als dat er niet is" be better translated as "if there is none"?
    – phoog
    May 30, 2018 at 7:06
  • @phoog Absolutely. I just copied Google's translation verbatim and added [sic]. But I went back to Google and it seems that in the mean time it learned a few things. Updating my answer now.
    – Berend
    May 30, 2018 at 7:26
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    Quite a few years ago now, I was playing with Google translate and found that if the word "break" appeared in a sentence that also included the word "coffee" then it would be translated into Dutch as "pauze." My example sentence was something like "be careful not to break the coffee cup." A month or two later, I tried again and could no longer achieve the same result.
    – phoog
    May 30, 2018 at 9:36
  • In some places, walking on the left side of the road so you see traffic incoming is actually the law.
    – Guido
    May 30, 2018 at 14:27
  • The funny thing is that in other countries there is first a pedestrian path and only if you are lucky as a cyclist you'll find a cycle path as well. In the Netherlands, it's vice versa... ;)
    – elzell
    May 30, 2018 at 14:57

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