Today we were given the task of performing a self-tour of some of the neighbourhoods in Delft. The two which I went to were the Buitenhof / Poptahof neighbourhood which is located around the Delflandplein roundabout and the Oost Tanthof area which was about a ten minute bike ride from the Buitenhof / Poptahof neighbourhood.
Location A: The Buitenhof / Poptahof Neighbourhood
The Delflandplein junction used to be a four way intersection but was converted into a roundabout in 2011. It was quite an amazing roundabout, as a two way bike path wrapped around the whole roundabout and then there was a straight through section for both the bus and the tram. Below is a screenshot from google maps which depicts the roundabout:
One thing I found to be astonishing here, was that all the vehicles in the roundabout yielded to me on my bike. I was actually able to make a complete circle around the roundabout without having to stop for any vehicles. In Canada, I feel like drivers in vehicles do not have as much respect for bikers and I wonder how many cars would have yielded to me on my bike if this roundabout were to be in Canada? Also, in the area of the Delflandplein roundabout, is the indoor shopping center known as “In de Hoeve”. We walked through that shopping mall as well as around a 1 kilometre radius of the mall, making observations and recording our findings.
Around the area of the roundabout and the mall, there were many mid to high rise apartment buildings as seen in the picture below.
In terms of green space, it was quite limited, with a few small public lawns of which no one appeared to use. However this could be due to the fact that it was raining and quite cold outside. What surprised me was even though the weather was “niet zo goed” (not so good), there were still many locals riding their bikes around. In comparison to Canada, I think that Canadians are more fair weather riders, aside from a few diehard bikers.
The streets in the area were quite wide in comparison to some of the other areas we have been to, however still more narrow than most streets in Canada. Cars could drive fast, although they had to slow down for the roundabout, as they almost always would have to stop for a cyclist. I did not notice any speed bumps/humps and had the thought that the roundabout almost acts as a speed control as vehicles have to drastically slow down/stop in the roundabout. There were separate cycling paths parallel to the main street which was quite nice as shown below.
At the shopping centre, “In De Hoven”, we walked around inside and got some lunch. I had some really good “friets” (french fries) which came in a cone with onions, curry-ketchup, and mayo on them. I also had an espresso, I’m still adjusting to waking up early for school again. The shopping mall was a long, narrow building with many stores. Compared to Canada, I would say I enjoyed this style of mall better than a mall like Orchard Park. Orchard Park is a mall where I am always getting lost in, however I feel like I would never get lost in this mall. It was very walkable and well spaced, with entrances at each end and one in the middle. We noticed a store for fresh produce, two supermarkets, a pet store, a few restaurants and cafes, a bed store, an electronic store, and many other stores. I as well as my companions all agreed that the mall had a nice feel to it, there were little umbrellas on the roof which let in sufficient light through the skylights, giving the mall a very warm, welcoming, vibrant feeling.
In terms of transportation to and from this shopping centre, it seemed that many modes of transportation were being utilized. For public transportation, there was a bus stop in the area as well as a tram stop. For vehicles, there was also a large parkade adjacent to the shopping centre as depicted below.
Last and most importantly, the parking facilities for bicyclists! There was both indoor and outdoor parking right near the entrance of the mall, this gave me the impression that they wanted to encourage bikers by making an indoor parking facility right at the mall entrance.
Location B: The Oost Tanthof
About a 10 minute ride south of the Buitenhof / Poptahof Neighbourhood, was the Oost Tanthof community. It consisted of a lot of older semi detached and row houses, most with a small lawn or plants/garden. There was also a park in the area with a basketball court and a preschool/kindergarten. Compared to the Buitenhof / Poptahof Neighbourhood, the streets were more narrow, with a low speed limit. Again, I did not observe any speed bumps/humps, although I observed that due to the low speed limit and the narrow roads, they probably weren’t necessary. The blocks were a bit longer than the first community, but still walkable and still in the tree network form. In some parts, there were bike lanes/paths, but for the most part, we rode on the road. The road was small enough that I felt comfortable as a biker riding on the street. 
We stopped at the shopping center called the Dashof which was near the park. There, there was a supermarket, a Spanish restaurant, a flower store, a bakery, a pharmacy, and a dog store. Not sufficient for all the resident’s need, but enough for residents to be able to do most of their shopping in this area should they choose to do so. I did not notice a whole lot of parking, there were a few stalls, but the shopping area was outdoor and was pedestrian only (no bikes even). It had a very small knit community feel and was also very welcoming.
The shops are not located near the main street, so it would be easier to walk or bike to this area. However, there was a bus stop nearby, so there is still accessibility to public transportation and there was a little parking. Compared to the other shopping area and all the shopping places I know in Canada, there was not very much options for vehicles and it wasn’t the most accessible for cars. This provides a walkable environment with little traffic danger. Interestingly enough, I felt that while there were less bike paths in this neighbourhood, I still felt just as safe, because the streets had less traffic and the speed limit was also quite low.
If I were to live in Delft and a bike would be my main method of transportation, I would prefer the Buitenhof / Poptahof neighbourhood, as it has a lot more amenities in its shopping centre and sufficient bike paths in the area.
