[840] A video portrait of the renovated Maastunnel in Rotterdam with a focus on the cycling tunnel. More information in the blog post: bicycledutch.w...
Wow, I remember taking this tunnel 5 years ago while riding across Rotterdam. I was fascinated that such a long tunnel is for cycling. I hope I can visit it again the next time I’m in Rotterdam
There are 2 more long bicycle tunnels near by. The Beneluxtunnel: ruclips.net/video/Yu6GAsKRv_g/видео.html Note: The moped as seen at 1:15 in this video was there illegally. I would have stopped him right there and sent him back. There is a separate tunnel for mopeds at the same location (about 100 meters away). The Heinenoordtunnel: ruclips.net/video/eMtJPBvEUFM/видео.html
@@wimahlers I'd love to hear which tunnel mopeds are allowed to drive in within 100 meters. We are not able to drive in the Maastunnel at all. Not in the bicycle or pedestrian tunnel because of our speed and emissions, and not in the car tunnel because it is classified as a motorway - making it basically illegal. The closest options to cross the river are the Erasmus bridge (1.6 km away) and the moped part of the Benelux Tunnel (6.6 km away). I prefer the bridge though, for the scenic views. And I love cycling through the Maastunnel, so I get why they banned mopeds there.
@@bjorngroen2724 I was not referring to the Maastunnel. I was referring to the Beneluxtunnel. And I repeat the Beneluxtunnel reference here: ruclips.net/video/Yu6GAsKRv_g/видео.html It is in this reference that you see a moped at 1:15 in the cycle tunnel of the Beneluxtunnel. And mopeds are not allowed to take this bicycle tunnel. Mopeds must take the other tunnel a little further. About 100 meters further.
@@wimahlers Oh I'm sorry, guess I have to start learning how to read 😁 I dislike the moped drivers who take the bicycle tunnel in the Benelux Tunnel. It's also way easier (as a moped) to drive 100m further than take your heavy and bulky moped on an elevator. Thanks for pointing me in the right way! 👍
@@bjorngroen2724 Well, in their defense, I once met a moped rider who was there for the first time and was honestly confused. After I showed him where to be he gladly went to the service tunnel. Which is the tunnel between the 2 highway sections. Which is the tunnel tube mopeds must use. Just for fun I cycled this tunnel tube twice. And I know that some bicycle racers are using this tunnel tube as well. Because they can keep on racing without interruption. Anyway, I diverge, back to the topic. Which the Maastunnel.
There are a lot of bumps on the Northern part of the tunnel, this will get probably worse over the years. I really don't know why that is, because before the renovation it was smooth throughout the whole tunnel.
I remember racing through the tunnel as a teen and my tires slipping over the middle partition. I fell so hard and my friends laughed all the way back home 🥴😅 Safe to say I’m a fan of the renovation 😄
I userd this tunnel, for the first time, walking , ca 60 years ago...The first time biking on my first bike a few years later. In that time there was no money (in my family) for buying bikes for little kids, so I started on a bike at the age of 9.
Yes, there is a similar tunnel under the Elbe river in Hamburg, Germany. Locals call it "Alter Elbtunnel" ("Old Elbe Tunnel", opened in 1911.) It's actually two tunnels (one per direction) with two huge access buildings - on each side there are two staircases, two modern elevators for pedestrians and bikes, and two historic cargo elevators originally built for horse-drawn carriages and later used for cars. Today it's exclusively available for people walking and cycling, no more cars (and horses.) One of the tunnels have recently been renovated, the other one is currently under renovation. Cars use a completely separate tunnel which is in a different location ("New Elbe Tunnel", though it's not that new anymore … opened in 1975.)
it defenitely looks a lot better.. as a kid i often went trough it with my grandfather (probably also with my grandmother as we often took it when we'd go onto the Spido) so i remember it being really dark and dingy. but now it looks a lot brighter and more welcoming
when i was 4 years old (2012) i walked this tunnel every day when i was with my grandfather. i liked it very much and its been a while so may i gonna do it this year again or something
Great video! I remember wanting to use the tunnel 30 years ago with my fully packed moped (I had been visiting my parents in the UK and returning to The Hague I lived at that time), only being allowed walking the entire distance using the "Fietstunnel" part.
@1:25 thats nice because those are some damn nice escalators , very solidly build ... I live close enough to smell you biking past but I rarely use the bike side of the tunnel; either i drive by car and if i go like to the city centre i would take public transport generally not the bike , but the points of crossing the river are almost al limited as they ever were
@@litchtheshinigami8936 Those are the same escalators. At the bottom you can enter the tunnel for bicycles or use an extra (small, fixed) staircase to enter the tunnel for pedestrians. So those escalators ar stepped ones. Quite long and steep.
I never been in the part for the bicycles and/or walking, but have driven the car part quite often. Though I rather ride the bridges as they gave me a nicer view.
They’ve replaced them with pictures of the workers building the tunnel in the ‘40’s on one side of the escalators and on the other side pictures of workers renovating it in the 21st century. I really like it. Wish they’d place more pictures though.
Cleaning it quickly and having special places where it is legal helps a lot. NS (our national train service) also doesn't ride with graffiti on its cars unless it's not otherwise possible. And also keep in mind the type of graffiti. A car with a single tag is a smaller issue than cars with swastikas or dicks painted on them.
The fire at King's Cross didn't start because of wooden escalators. It started because someone ignored the relatively new smoking ban that was barely enforced at that time, in combination with poor maintenance.
@0:10 Having seen this I realise I need to post a general warning to Rotterdammers; theres light now, you might be blinded if you expect what it was... careful out there k
@@sorayahanania8623 I suppose if people ride wet bikes into the tunnel the shiny surface will get a bit slippery. Then they'll need to put up those warning signs like the cleaner's one near the end.
262 million Euro for the entire project. Both car tunnels, the cyclist tunnel and the pedestrian tunnel. Was it worth it, is not realy relevant, the city would not work without these tunnels!
I love the name of this tunnel!
Hehehe
2 years ago I got drunk AF and fell with my bike from the top of the escalator to the bottom. It hurt a lot, but no permanent damage.
And you? Were you ok as well?
No permanent damage, yet they renovated the entire thing.. 🤔
Looks like you at least got a story out of it! ;-)
That’s a long way 👁. I remember walking home through the tunnel complete drunk also... loved it. Tegels als behang.
@@jezusbloodie Dutch people have bizarre strong bones.. So there where big dents everywhere
Wow, I remember taking this tunnel 5 years ago while riding across Rotterdam. I was fascinated that such a long tunnel is for cycling. I hope I can visit it again the next time I’m in Rotterdam
There are 2 more long bicycle tunnels near by.
The Beneluxtunnel:
ruclips.net/video/Yu6GAsKRv_g/видео.html
Note: The moped as seen at 1:15 in this video was there illegally. I would have stopped him right there and sent him back.
There is a separate tunnel for mopeds at the same location (about 100 meters away).
The Heinenoordtunnel:
ruclips.net/video/eMtJPBvEUFM/видео.html
@@wimahlers I'd love to hear which tunnel mopeds are allowed to drive in within 100 meters. We are not able to drive in the Maastunnel at all. Not in the bicycle or pedestrian tunnel because of our speed and emissions, and not in the car tunnel because it is classified as a motorway - making it basically illegal. The closest options to cross the river are the Erasmus bridge (1.6 km away) and the moped part of the Benelux Tunnel (6.6 km away). I prefer the bridge though, for the scenic views. And I love cycling through the Maastunnel, so I get why they banned mopeds there.
@@bjorngroen2724
I was not referring to the Maastunnel.
I was referring to the Beneluxtunnel.
And I repeat the Beneluxtunnel reference here:
ruclips.net/video/Yu6GAsKRv_g/видео.html
It is in this reference that you see a moped at 1:15 in the cycle tunnel of the Beneluxtunnel. And mopeds are not allowed to take this bicycle tunnel. Mopeds must take the other tunnel a little further. About 100 meters further.
@@wimahlers Oh I'm sorry, guess I have to start learning how to read 😁 I dislike the moped drivers who take the bicycle tunnel in the Benelux Tunnel. It's also way easier (as a moped) to drive 100m further than take your heavy and bulky moped on an elevator. Thanks for pointing me in the right way! 👍
@@bjorngroen2724
Well, in their defense, I once met a moped rider who was there for the first time and was honestly confused. After I showed him where to be he gladly went to the service tunnel. Which is the tunnel between the 2 highway sections. Which is the tunnel tube mopeds must use.
Just for fun I cycled this tunnel tube twice. And I know that some bicycle racers are using this tunnel tube as well. Because they can keep on racing without interruption.
Anyway, I diverge, back to the topic. Which the Maastunnel.
I don't think the Netherlands needs a tourist board to promote the country when they have @BicycleDutch !
to be frank; we prefer to be known by quirky details then drummed up propaganda ... yes notice us doing infra shit... we are deeply proud of it
Tourists would really do themselves a favour if they ventured slightly outside Amsterdam for a day.
Ik denk het ook niet Jon 😉
Gonna ride it tomorrow to bike to Het Park :)
...And uploading a new Parkitect video after? :) JK, love your content man! From a fellow Rotterdammert.
Was it everything you hoped it would be?
PS. Dammit RUclips, why you unsubbed me from Silv?! Not cool
vergeet je muilkorf niet. 95 Euro boete LOL
@@jezusbloodie I mean, I go there quite a lot, it's always exactly up to expectations :)
@@Silvarret such reliable infrastructure, fuck yeah!
There are a lot of bumps on the Northern part of the tunnel, this will get probably worse over the years. I really don't know why that is, because before the renovation it was smooth throughout the whole tunnel.
I remember racing through the tunnel as a teen and my tires slipping over the middle partition. I fell so hard and my friends laughed all the way back home 🥴😅
Safe to say I’m a fan of the renovation 😄
Nice historical restoration. I would thoroughly enjoy just flying through there, On the Left of course.....
I assure you you can go up to 40km/h in there. (At least, I did that) It will go down for a certain amount of time and there’s no wind. Enjoy
I userd this tunnel, for the first time, walking , ca 60 years ago...The first time biking on my first bike a few years later. In that time there was no money (in my family) for buying bikes for little kids, so I started on a bike at the age of 9.
Very nice video. The Netherlands is a real cycling country
This looks so much like the Fietstunnel I went through in Antwerp. Great video!
Yes, that is a similar tunnel ruclips.net/video/yX4Kd1w2ZFE/видео.html
@@BicycleDutch I also visited another one on the Elbe in... I wanna say Hamburg? Also very similar to Antwerp.
Yes, there is a similar tunnel under the Elbe river in Hamburg, Germany. Locals call it "Alter Elbtunnel" ("Old Elbe Tunnel", opened in 1911.) It's actually two tunnels (one per direction) with two huge access buildings - on each side there are two staircases, two modern elevators for pedestrians and bikes, and two historic cargo elevators originally built for horse-drawn carriages and later used for cars. Today it's exclusively available for people walking and cycling, no more cars (and horses.) One of the tunnels have recently been renovated, the other one is currently under renovation. Cars use a completely separate tunnel which is in a different location ("New Elbe Tunnel", though it's not that new anymore … opened in 1975.)
Used to cycle through it every day to work, glad it got a proper renovation!
it defenitely looks a lot better.. as a kid i often went trough it with my grandfather (probably also with my grandmother as we often took it when we'd go onto the Spido) so i remember it being really dark and dingy. but now it looks a lot brighter and more welcoming
when i was 4 years old (2012) i walked this tunnel every day when i was with my grandfather. i liked it very much and its been a while so may i gonna do it this year again or something
Great video! I remember wanting to use the tunnel 30 years ago with my fully packed moped (I had been visiting my parents in the UK and returning to The Hague I lived at that time), only being allowed walking the entire distance using the "Fietstunnel" part.
Geweldig hoor en gelukkig goed bij gehouden!!
@1:25 thats nice because those are some damn nice escalators , very solidly build ... I live close enough to smell you biking past but I rarely use the bike side of the tunnel; either i drive by car and if i go like to the city centre i would take public transport generally not the bike , but the points of crossing the river are almost al limited as they ever were
That tunnel is really interresting.
Looks crisp. Gonna try it in April.
I've cycled through it a few weeks ago. It was a nicely lit. :)
Is it dangerous to cycle through there at night?
Impressive. And it works well with bike on escalators?
they are flat escalators instead of the regular stepped ones.
@@litchtheshinigami8936 No, they are stepped ones. Look at 1:23
Yes, they work fine. It took me 2 or 3 times to get used to, though. But after that it is easy.
@@ronaldbaljeu1612 i thought they weren't though.. at least not the bike ones
@@litchtheshinigami8936 Those are the same escalators. At the bottom you can enter the tunnel for bicycles or use an extra (small, fixed) staircase to enter the tunnel for pedestrians. So those escalators ar stepped ones. Quite long and steep.
So Beautiful😍
Need this in Amsterdam!!
They want to build a bridge for bikes instead
@@Digalog yes but another problem will be cruise ships or bigger ships cannot cross the river any more
I was living 12 year rotterdam Charles near maastunnel rotterdam
this tunnel is very important to cross rotterdam city
Nice video
I never been in the part for the bicycles and/or walking, but have driven the car part quite often. Though I rather ride the bridges as they gave me a nicer view.
Alweer?????
There used to be small display cabinets alongside the escalators. You could rent these to advertise your business. Sadly they have gone.
They’ve replaced them with pictures of the workers building the tunnel in the ‘40’s on one side of the escalators and on the other side pictures of workers renovating it in the 21st century. I really like it. Wish they’d place more pictures though.
Now, there’s a civilized country. Go, Netherlands!
Cycling with masks, police brutality = civiliséd?
I wish!
@@MsMesem pff stfu. The Netherlands is fucking great man. Don’t just focus on lesser things. Advice for life btw.
Sint-Annatunnel in Antwerp is its older brother :)
More like sister
Interesting mix between a Dutch and English accent :p
So many streets and structures seem to be free of graffiti. Maybe a future video on how the Dutch address anti-social behaviour?
Cleaning it as fast as possible is a very effective measure. They will feel like they haven’t achieved anything because no one saw it.
Cleaning it quickly and having special places where it is legal helps a lot.
NS (our national train service) also doesn't ride with graffiti on its cars unless it's not otherwise possible. And also keep in mind the type of graffiti. A car with a single tag is a smaller issue than cars with swastikas or dicks painted on them.
@@Klont123 also, using materials that resist paint and are easy to clean.
1:24 wood? I hope London's King's Cross disaster has been taken into account.
Should be fine if no one throws a burning match in the escalator
@@meganversteeg61 in the current worldwide situation that we're in, do you really trust everyone to do the right thing :P
The fire at King's Cross didn't start because of wooden escalators.
It started because someone ignored the relatively new smoking ban that was barely enforced at that time, in combination with poor maintenance.
Very cool.
Lekker bezig
1942 ?????
Are cyclists allowed in pedestrian tunnel and vice versa?
No.
Of course not.
Technically you could walk in the pedestrian tunnel with your bicycle by hand.
Rotterdam? Waar lech dat dan?
Super i pozdrawiam
@0:10 Having seen this I realise I need to post a general warning to Rotterdammers; theres light now, you might be blinded if you expect what it was... careful out there k
So guys have bicycle tunnels as well? Stop it, now you're just showing off! :)
Since 1942, no less ;-)
You ain't seen nothing yet here, there are more cycling projects happening here that would make your day even more envious..
Quite common in Europe.
Ech wel! Ja, toch?
That path looks incredibly slippery
Its actually more comfortable riding your bicycle on that kind of path. Low impact and smooth😊
@@sorayahanania8623 I suppose if people ride wet bikes into the tunnel the shiny surface will get a bit slippery. Then they'll need to put up those warning signs like the cleaner's one near the end.
No it has a subtle rough surface, not slippery at all.
@@WegrennerX Good to know! ^.^
@@meganversteeg61 nice profile pic!
Ja toch!
I was today years old when I found out, the tunnels have a elevator. 🙃
hahaha first few seconds... all alone open air wearing a muzzle.. well done !!!
1:42 it's not open air.
Its wayy better im not kidding
Wow mijn tunnel lijkt eindelijk mooier
Belgische fietstunnel onder de Schelde is 350 km lang!
km? 🤔
572 meter.
Belgische kilometers
i bed a total of 2 people who watched this video that were not dutch
Kijk al die gehersenspoelde schapen met een mondkapje terwijl het niet hoeft.
Als kind wel eens door de Maastunnel gelopen met anderen. Dat was in de jaren 80.
Lift is elevator
In America yes, but not in the UK or Australia.
Is this nice? Yes. Was the renovation worth the 250 million euro investment? No.
It definitely was worth it. Those 5000 people a day don’t use cars or public transport. That alone is a huge win for society as a whole.
its worth it you have to precerve monuments
262 million Euro for the entire project. Both car tunnels, the cyclist tunnel and the pedestrian tunnel. Was it worth it, is not realy relevant, the city would not work without these tunnels!
Old look was better where are my yellow lights?
I love this dutchman doing the oxford effort haha. Ferrie mutsj better than die otter aprootsch
Lekker Nederlands accent
what a waste of money, could be better another car tunnel / bridge with a seperate smaller bike lane
So you will have more tunnels to maintain and more money to spend on renovating them?
* has been :)
Ieuw it gives me a negative feeling that. Far from natural and green
it has been renovated like 7 months ago lmao
1:47 ofcourse? nothing ofcourse about that, what a dissapointment from you
WTF, why is there no drop for cyclist to just enter it without going into that stupid buidling. What the freaking hell! Good infra, my ass.