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To grow cycling, traffic planners often position cycling paths on pedestrian pavements, as this is often much easier than to take away space from car traffic (parking or traffic lanes). Pedestrian areas in city centres can form obstacles for cyclists – thus the question often is whether they should be allowed or not – especially as such zones often provide safe cycling routes in a car-oriented city centre. In places with high numbers of pedestrians, this will inevitably create discomfort – especially for pedestrians. However, experience and research show that with good design the situation is largely self-regulatory. A study of over 100 pedestrian zones in the Netherlands showed that the number of cyclists in such zones is largely independent of whether cycling is allowed or not, but mostly dependent on the number of users. To alleviate the situation, there are many solutions:
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