How do Dutch cycling junction numbers work?

Imagined Dutch canal scene with a traveller beside a bicycle and a numbered cycling junction sign. — Illustration of a Dutch cycling junction. The setting and signs are fictional and do not show a real route or current conditions.AI-generated illustration.

Dutch cycling junction numbers let you plan a ride by joining points on a map. A junction, called a knooppunt in Dutch or knooppunten in the plural, is a place where cycle routes meet. Follow the signs to the next number on your list. At that junction, switch to the following number.

Choose a route on the map

Choose where you want to start and the places you want to see. You can follow an existing junction route or plan your own by joining points. For a circular ride, check that the last connection returns to your starting point.

On the current Dutch Fietsersbond planner, select Via knooppunten for a junction route. Show the junctions on the map, then click a point. Van sets the start, Via adds an intermediate point, and Naar sets the finish. Add your points in riding order: the planner's help warns that you cannot simply swap their order afterwards.

Write the numbers and check the distance

Copy the complete sequence, including any intervening junctions the planner adds between the points you chose. ANWB calls these "via" junctions. Its junction-planner guide also suggests writing the numbers on a note attached to the handlebars. Save the route map too, and mark the start so you can find the end of your loop.

The numbers identify junctions, not kilometres. Junction information panels show the distance to the next point. Use the distances on your route map or a panel to work out the length of your planned ride.

Allow for the ride from your accommodation or station to the first numbered point and for getting back afterwards. Those trips may add distance beyond the loop on your map.

Fictional paper route map with a green line joining 12, 34 and 56, a grey branch to 78 and the same sequence written beside it. — Fictional planning diagram: the green line follows 12 → 34 → 56, while 78 is on another branch. This diagram is not a navigation map.AI-generated illustration.

Follow the next number

Look for the green-and-white junction signs and follow the arrow for the next number on your list. Keep following that number until you reach its junction, then look for the following one. The connections are signed in both directions, so decide which way round you are riding before setting off. The numbers on your list do not have to increase.

LF means Langeafstand Fietsroutes, or long-distance cycle routes, intended for multi-day rides. You can follow an LF route in its own right; junction numbers identify individual points in the network.

A cyclist stopped beside a bicycle checks a paper list reading 12 → 34 → 56; an imagined node 34 sign points left to 56 and right to 78. — The list calls for 56 after 34, so the cyclist would take the left branch in this fictional example. The numbers and paths cannot be used to navigate.AI-generated illustration.

If you miss a sign

Stop somewhere safe before checking directions. Find your position on the saved route map. Check the last junction you can confirm and which point you meant to reach next. Follow a connection shown on the map or retrace your way to a confirmed junction instead of guessing from the number alone.

You can also shorten or change your ride at a junction. Check the new connections and distance, then update the remaining sequence before continuing.

For a damaged or missing sign, ANWB directs reports to MeldpuntRoutes, which forwards them to the relevant region.

Keep your route list handy

A handlebar map holder can carry a printed junction list or route map. Check how it attaches to your bicycle and which paper size it takes before buying. A list in your pocket also works. Stop somewhere safe before reading directions.

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