Netherlands reduces road congestion by 30% in Q1 2012

According to Dutch automotive association and tourism group ANWB, there was an estimated 30 per cent year-on-year decrease in the number of traffic jams in the Netherlands in the first quarter of 2012. This comes as the Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch department for infrastructure maintenance, invested more in the construction of new motorway lanes in recent years. The A2 motorway between Amsterdam and Utrecht has been expanded to ten lanes, and this reduced congestion by 25 per cent alone in 2011. In the short
April 4, 2012 Read time: 1 min
According to Dutch automotive association and tourism group 481 ANWB, there was an estimated 30 per cent year-on-year decrease in the number of traffic jams in the Netherlands in the first quarter of 2012. This comes as the 4767 Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch department for infrastructure maintenance, invested more in the construction of new motorway lanes in recent years.

The A2 motorway between Amsterdam and Utrecht has been expanded to ten lanes, and this reduced congestion by 25 per cent alone in 2011. In the short term, the road widening will lead to less congestion. However, in the long term this is expected to change as people adjust to the new travel times. Moreover, people will also opt to live further away from where they work, meaning congestion will inevitably increase once again.

Related Content

  • Positive incentives an alternative to road user charging?
    February 1, 2012
    The Netherlands has been looking at incentivising rush-hour avoidance. The intention is to better understand road users' motivations and find alternatives to congestion charging. Something significant needs to happen if we are to adequately address the traffic congestion and other issues caused by the ever-rising numbers of vehicles on our roads. Congestion or distance-based charging is seen as one way of managing demand and raising revenue for improvements to transport infrastructure. However, charging is
    Read More
  • Tri-nation cooperation on C-ITS Corridor
    June 20, 2016
    In the European C-ITS Corridor project, authorities from three countries are working with the automotive industry on the deployment of Cooperative (V2X) Systems. Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems/Services (C-ITS) has the potential to improve road safety, transport efficiency and environmentally friendly mobility, as well as creating additional services and new business models. A set of international standards have been developed to provide the technical basis for the deployment of Cooperative ITS.
    Read More
  • Managed motorways, hard shoulder running aids safety, saves time
    January 30, 2012
    The announcement that, in 2012/13, work to extend Managed Motorways to Junctions 5-8 of the M6 near Birmingham in the West Midlands is scheduled to start marks the next step for the UK's hard shoulder running concept, first introduced on the M42 in 2006. The M6 scheme is in fact one of several announced; over the next few years work will start on applying Managed Motorways to various sections of the M1, M25 London Orbital, M60 and M62. According to Paul Unwin, senior project manager with the Highways Agency
    Read More
  • Traffic congestion rise in Europe a ‘sign of economic recovery’
    March 4, 2014
    A new report from leading traffic information and driver services provider Inrix shows traffic congestion in Europe rose in 2013 for the first time in two years. According to the 2013 annual Inrix Traffic Scorecard, traffic congestion across Europe increased approximately six per cent in the last three quarters of the year. The amount of time British drivers spent in traffic throughout the year has risen slightly, from 29 hours in 2012 to 30 hours in 2013. This puts the UK in sixth place in Europe, behi
    Read More

Highlighted Content