Ride by numbers: how a Dutch junction sign tells you where to go

By Porter Lang

You do not need a route to ride in the Netherlands. You need a list of numbers. That is the whole idea behind the fietsknooppunten, the numbered junction network, and it is worth understanding before you hire a bike.

How it works

Pick your junctions on a map, write the numbers down in order, then follow the signs from one number to the next. A tour operator’s blog, Girolibero, describes it this way: each junction between cycle routes has an identification number, and a panel there shows an orientation map of nearby junctions with the distances in kilometres to each. Approach signs warn you that a junction is coming; it quotes “U nadert knooppunt”, Dutch for “you are approaching the junction”.

The Flemish piece in the Brussels Times says riders plan a route by listing the node numbers, then follow signs from one node to the next, with white arrows at each junction pointing to the next number on the list. Atlas Obscura, a travel website, describes the same method: build a sequence of numbers on an interactive map before riding, match them to the signs, follow the arrows.

Girolibero says numbers can repeat elsewhere in the network as long as they are a reasonable distance apart, so keep the numbers in order.

What the signs look like

Sign styles differ between regions and over time, so follow the sign in front of you, not the picture in a guide.

Where it began, and when

The sources we read give three different start years, so we give none. DTV Capacity Building, a cycling-training site, says the idea was conceived in the Belgian province of Limburg and later adopted in the Netherlands.

When it reached the Netherlands

Wikipedia says the network was introduced in the Netherlands in 1999 and that by 2014 the entire country was part of it. Girolibero agrees: it says the system reached the Dutch province of Limburg in 1999, that the Netherlands was fully covered by 2014, and that it later spread to northern Germany, border regions and parts of Wallonia.

Practical points from the sources

It says maps at 1:50,000 are available from tourist offices or online, and that holders attach them to the handlebars and protect them from rain.
It says online planners let you connect junctions, check surface types, view altitude profiles and export GPX tracks or QR codes.
It says you can change your route mid-ride at any junction, to shorten it in rain or extend it if you have time.
Wikipedia says national cycle maps usually include the numbered routes and that OpenStreetMap carries detailed data.
Girolibero also says thematic routes, usually 30 to 50 km, use hexagonal signs with the route’s name, while the long LF routes use rectangular signs marked LF plus a number.

Girolibero is a tour operator that sells cycling holidays, so read its tips as promotional.

Quick answers

What do the numbers on Dutch cycle signs mean? According to Girolibero, a tour operator, each junction has an identification number. You plan a route by listing numbers and follow signs from one to the next.

When did the numbered network reach the Netherlands? Wikipedia says 1999, with the whole country covered by 2014. Girolibero says the same.

Where did it begin? DTV Capacity Building says the idea was conceived in the Belgian province of Limburg and later adopted in the Netherlands.

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