zijwegen

Zijwegen is a Dutch term for roads that branch off from a main road to provide local access. The word zijweg combines zij (side) and weg (road). In contrast to a hoofdweg (main road), zijwegen are typically not designed to carry high volumes of through traffic and serve more local purposes.

Zijwegen vary in length and layout. They are usually narrower, often with lower speed limits, and serve residential areas, farms, or small settlements. At junctions with the main road they may have direct access or connect through small local intersections; sometimes they end in cul-de-sacs. Because they handle local traffic, zijwegen help keep the main road free of unnecessary turning movements and allow slower, local trips to occur away from the through route.

Maintenance and traffic control on zijwegen are usually the responsibility of municipal authorities. Signage and road markings indicate their status and priority relative to the main road, and traffic calming measures such as speed humps, narrowed lanes, or chicanes may be employed to improve safety. Pedestrians and bicyclists commonly share these routes, especially in urban and peri-urban areas.

In planning and road inventories, zijwegen are classified as local or minor roads within the broader network. The term is used in Dutch transport planning and mapping, and comparable concepts exist in other countries under terms such as "side road" or "side street."