Haren Shared Space

In this video I take a cycle ride up and down the Monderman Shared Space in Haren. Before this was built cyclists would have used traditional segregated cycle paths. I could have chosen any Shared Space, but this scheme was built in the country from which the idea originated, and was personally approved by the father of Shared Space, Hans Monderman. As is usually the case with Shared Space, there is little sharing going on. The zebra crossings had to be installed after pedestrians complained they were unable to cross the road, which technically means it is no longer a Shared Space. For cyclists it's just a road with the usual close passes and speeding, with drivers accelerating heavily when they get to the wide-open, poorly-defined junctions. The block paving is very expensive, and prone to sinking under heavy motor traffic.