What is a Dutch “fietssnelweg” (bike highway)?
Met de fietssnelweg F24 veilig naar het werk
A2 Dutch listening practice · Flemish Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
A fietssnelweg is a long-distance, fast-cycling route designed for daily commuters: wide enough for two-way traffic with overtaking, separated from cars where possible, and engineered for speed instead of sightseeing. The compound is fiets (“bike”) plus snelweg (“highway”). The Netherlands and Flanders both run national networks of them: Dutch routes are labeled with “F” plus a number (F35, F261), as are Flemish ones (F1, F24). Surfaces are smoothed asphalt, with tunnels often replacing traffic lights.
In this clip from Vlaams-Brabant, commuter Gert explains: “ik gebruik de fietssnelweg om snel en veilig tot op mijn werk te geraken, om in het groen te kunnen rijden” (“I use the bike highway to get to work fast and safely, and to ride through green spaces”).
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Flemish commuting reportages (VRT, Het Laatste Nieuws, De Standaard)
- ▸On Dutch and Belgian government cycling-route portals (Fietsersbond, fietssnelwegen.be, Rijkswaterstaat)
- ▸In international cycling-tourism press about Dutch infrastructure (Bicycling Magazine, The Guardian)
- ▸In Dutch urban-planning podcasts and lectures (BNR Nieuwsradio, TU Delft talks)