Donnerstag, 16. November 2023

The Road Spotter


On an overcast November day I took a wrong turn and cycled along what the authorities call the largest gras land in the The Hague. It is the sound screen on the verge of the motorway to Delft. They also call it an ecological corridor. For example insects or small animals can travel along this route from the business district of Delft to the one of The Hague in Leidseveen. If they are not crushed under the tires or the smashed against the windscreens of the endless roaring traffic along this strip of nature.


To make it even more interesting they have set down a table and benches set so that the interested can observe the movements of nature around them. It is deserted. Why here? In the closeby recreation areas between Delft and Zoetermeer there are few,


However, a bit further on a man sits next to the motorway on his own chair. Since his retirement as a carpenter the seventy year old comes here regularly. Here his dog can roam freely and he looks at the traffic passing by. He does not mind the stink and noise. The entire area is full of roads and motorways anyway, he says. You have to be satisfied with what you can get. 


Trainspotting is well known. However, sitting next to a busy motorway is less than usual.