The Netherlands is silting up. When it comes to accessibility, a ‘perfect storm’ awaits us in the next ten years, warns the ANWB.
The ANWB points to various developments that come together. For example, the population and mobility are increasing, while in the near future there will be less ‘road capacity’ available due to renovation, replacement, overdue maintenance, nitrogen problems and inflation. Public transport cannot accommodate this. This is struggling with staff shortages and a reduction in the number of lines and journeys, according to the association.
The expectation is that the importance of the car, especially in less urban areas, will increase further, the ANWB reports in a response note. The organization for traffic and tourism, which is also a powerful lobby club with around five million members, has drawn up this memorandum for a traffic consultation in The Hague on Monday, January 22. Many new Members of the House of Representatives are participating in this. They have already received the piece.
According to the association, ‘the risk of acute restrictions or closures’ is growing due to overdue maintenance or technical setbacks. In the memorandum, the ANWB gives several examples, such as the problems with the Prinses Margriet tunnel on the A7. In addition, no fewer than seventeen waterway and motorway projects have been put on pause throughout the country due to the nitrogen problem and major renovation and replacement jobs are planned (viaducts, bridges and tunnels).
Much more expensive
The seventeen projects should continue as normal, according to the ANWB. If the pause is too long, and with the current inflation, there is a danger that new work will become much more expensive. There is already 2 billion euros less available due to government cuts. In addition, last year, 4 billion euros from the traffic fund was transferred to maintenance.
Chiel van Lent deals with these problems nationally on behalf of the ANWB. In the North, according to Van Lent, things will really get tough in Groningen (city) this year, especially because of the approach to the southern ring road.
At the same time, the Afsluitdijk (Kornwerderzand) “remains an annoying bottleneck, because the very outdated bridges are not being given priority. Not at Rijkswaterstaat and not at the province of Fryslân.”
Measures
Back to the bigger picture. “To maintain accessibility during large-scale maintenance work, the government, regions and interest groups should put together packages with non-binding measures,” states the ANWB response note. Agreements are required per region.
The association calls this mobility management. Encouraging flexible working and spreading working and teaching hours are central. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management should take the lead in this.
No alternative
‘If those who can work, study or travel flexibly do so, scarce road capacity will remain available for people who have no alternative in terms of means of transport and time of travel.’ The ministry must draw up an action plan and consult with governments, educational institutions, employers and organizations for travelers and road users.
Another problem, according to the ANWB, is that municipalities manage the majority, around 80 percent, of the ‘civil’ bridges, tunnels and other structures. The new cabinet must give provinces and municipalities extra money.