On December 13, passers-by near Molenwater Park in the center of Middelburg could hear “a true Christmas medley” sung by the choir of five cyclists, “Trained for the occasion” and was soon joined by some enthusiasts. And there were about twenty people singing sweet night, SPEAK PZC. The regional newspaper attended the inauguration of the first singing cycle path (song cycle path) from Zeeland, in the southwest of the Netherlands.
The sign revealed on this occasion invites you, when you enter the track, to say:
“The singing cycle path: here you can officially sing on a bike! No more stopping in the middle of a song if you pass another cyclist!”
In letters to readers Faithfulness, a cyclist was delighted with this announcement. But then regretted it: “This means that in cycle passages without signs it is not appropriate to sing. I sing classically and try to learn the pieces by heart […]. In my mind, all cycle paths are singing. “
Forty seconds of vibrato
Since the first of its kind in 2013 in Amsterdamabout fifteen “singing tracks” were opened in the Netherlands. In Middelburg, we owe it to local councilor Priscilla Vrolijk, a former singing teacher whose name – it’s not invented – means “happy”. “Singing is good for your health, but people are shy to do it in public,” he explained to Faithfulness.
“I think we all sing in the shower or in the car, when we know others can’t hear us. It takes courage to give voice to a part of yourself.”
He hopes the singing track will invite them to do the same: “Sometimes it’s nice to hear people passing by singing. Singing should become more normal! My dream is that it works. And why not? In the end, singing is just an extension of speech.”
In Middelburg, in any case, you don’t have to procrastinate too much. As mentioned Faithfulnessthe singing path that crosses the park “Only 200 meters long, about forty seconds song”.