Visitors coming to the city center in the weekend like to park their bikes near the shops, but this creates unsafe situations, according to the municipality. Bicycles block emergency exits and escape routes. Emergency care personnel and visitors have no throughway and bicycles are parked in front of residential entrances. The red carpet ensures that bikes are parked on only one side (of the street) so that emergency exits and entrances to residences remain accessible. In the first few weeks of the trial stewards will inform bike-riding visitors where they can and cannot park. The trial will last 3 months. The red carpet was successfully tried out in Groningen, and now also Zwolle is experimenting with it.