Cycling map comparison - Benelux and UK.

[Tail End Charlie]

Was surfing round bikehike (dreaming of possibly going to visit the battle of Waterloo site) and noticed the difference between the Benelux countries and the UK. The lilac lines show bicycle routes. Whilst I don't know what the routes are like (and could be along major roads for all I know), the difference is striking. I haven't really cycled in those countries so is it really that drastic a difference?
As an aside, if nothing else this thread has taught me how to screenshot.

 

[All uphill]

It's drastically different.

One of the reasons I've booked the ferry for my third consecutive year's touring there.

 

[sheddy]

UK Cycling Infrastructure is 40 years behind the Low Countries

 

[Drago]

Shame on us.

 

[mjr]

It's partly an effect of different route design and mapping policies. Benelux uses a junction node network which is primarily run at the provincial or region level, so it all gets mapped in purple for regional, with a few long distance routes mapped in red for national.

In the UK, red is used for Sustrans red number routes and purple for Sustrans blue number routes, the National Byway and some county leisure routes. Networks of the density of the Benelux nodes would be planned in UK Local Cycling and Walking Implementation Plans, so mapped in blue, for local, which doesn't appear at the zoom level shown.

But it'd still be a stark difference without that difference in policy, especially outside of towns and cities.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Thanks @mjr I thought there might be something like that at play as France (which is pretty good ime) looks more like the UK.