4 September 2023

#posifiets from Maastricht to Leeuwarden

NS has renamed September #posifiets-month nationwide. Leeuwarden, Zwijndrecht, Goes, Eindhoven and, of course, Maastricht are participating. Together with municipalities, NS is putting cyclists in the spotlight who choose train and bike. At the same time, they draw attention to a safe station environment that is attractive and accessible.

Safe station environment

After the holidays, NS traditionally welcomes many travellers who come to the station by bike. There are therefore many accessible and accessible parking facilities at the station. Unfortunately, a lot of bikes are parked criss-cross.
Jipke, station manager at NS: ''Some travellers want to park as close to the platform as possible and then park their bikes haphazardly in places where this is not allowed. This creates dangerous situations for people with a pram, a rollator, a blind guide stick or a wheelchair. And we precisely want a safe station environment that is attractive and accessible."

Proud

Representatives from NS, municipality, University and Swap-fiets jointly celebrated the kick-off of #posifiets-september-month in Maastricht last 24 August. The university is deploying bicycle coaches to get students to park in the sheds and not en masse against the facades of university buildings. UM has also set up special drop-off points where students can return their bikes when they no longer need them. The bikes go to the 'Fietsbank' (Bicycle Bank) and are refurbished for people on a tight budget.
Swapfiets makes the large numbers of new tenants aware of the bike rules in the city centre. The municipality builds new parking facilities and deploys enforcement when there really is no other way.

Approach continues to grow

The #posifiets campaign was developed in 2021 by South Limburg Bereikbaar on behalf of the municipality. Meanwhile, university, college, student and interest groups, entrepreneurs, housing associations and neighbourhood networks are participating. This year, other municipalities in South Limburg, several educational institutions across Limburg and the Province of Limburg have also joined in. Certainly not all 'cycling questions' have been solved equally quickly, but with small steps, enthusiasm and joint responsibility, the approach continues to grow. NS embraces #posifiets, challenges municipalities to participate in the '#posifiets-September-month' and wants to put the approach on the map nationwide.