Utrecht is turning the car-dominated Ledig Erf, the Catharijnesingel and the Bleekstraat into a greener, people-first southern gate to the city centre. Concept version October 2026 – not yet adopted.
Rough estimate of how the paved street space around the Ledig Erf is divided between cars, cyclists and pedestrians, today versus in the concept design.
Rough estimate (about ±10 percentage points). Existing: BGT base-map polygons (PDOK) inside the plan p18 footprint, by function. Proposed: colour classes of the plan (asphalt/clinker = cars, red asphalt = cycle path, paving = pedestrians) plus the shared 5.80 m carriageway, counted half car, half bike. Greenery, water and buildings are excluded; the big numbers are the change in share of the remaining space (e.g. 41% → 29% = ▼ 12%). Tree canopies are removed from the analysis: each canopy pixel takes the class of the nearest surface outside the canopy. Scripts: scripts/space_share.py.
Ledig Erf is where the Oudegracht, Singel, Vaartsche Rijn and Kromme Rijn meet – once the southern gate of Utrecht, now a car-dominated junction. The concept design makes it a place to walk, cycle, sit and meet.
Vaartscherijnbrug closed to motorised traffic; emergency services keep access.
Same paving between the four bridges, matching the Tolsteegbarrière.
Routes along the water and across the square, step-free for wheelchairs and prams.
Red-asphalt route and 40–60 new bike parking spaces at the edges.
20–30 new trees, 1,500–2,000 m² of paving replaced by green; plane trees stay.
Lowered green areas collect rainwater and reduce flooding and heat.
Tram house, historic bridges and “De Tourrenners” get room to be seen.
Still under study: the plan shows a version with and without the bus.
The plan also covers the Catharijnesingel (green cycle and walking route along the canal) and the Bleekstraat (a greener street). This is a concept sketch design; exact tree numbers and positions follow in the next phase.