In the coming years, Noord-Holland will gain many more inhabitants. By 2030, according to the plans, there will be about 250,000 additional homes and 200,000 additional jobs. The traffic on our roads is increasing. Accessibility and sustainability are therefore becoming increasingly important. In ‘Expedition Noord-Holland en route’, our presenter Koen Bugter finds out in this episode what NS and the Province are doing to keep rail and road accessible in the near future.
55 percent less CO2 emissions in 2030. That is our country’s climate goal, but sustainable travel is a must to achieve it. Because over the next eight years, 200,000 jobs and 250,000 homes must also be created. This makes it very busy on the road and rail. The NS sees it happening.
Irma Winkenius is regional director at NS: “It is of course very nice that all travelers are coming back (after the corona crisis, ed.) We are now at 80 percent. Travelers during rush hour work a lot from home, but they do go afterwards. We all travel on Mondays and Tuesdays, which is why we also hold talks with employers. We look at how we can help people to avoid being on too crowded trains.”
no seat
Presenter Koen Bugter complains that he sometimes does not have a seat on the train. Winkenius of the NS bounces the ball back: “You can also do something about that, by looking in the NS app and then asking yourself whether you can go a little later or combine your trip with, for example, an electric bicycle.”
Share bike
There is scope by bringing different forms of transport together. Outside, at the entrance of Zaandam station, there is ample space for cyclists. “We have built an overhang here, so that cyclists can cycle over the track. This has greatly improved accessibility,” says station manager Jouri Kaan.
We still pack the car en masse and the roads are silting up. Like the NS, the Province sees that it is crucial to share transport. With so-called mobi points, it brings shared cars, shared mopeds and shared bicycles together. Like in Anna Palowna. Maurice van der Meche is director of Mobi Points. “If you want to cycle the last or first kilometers of your journey, a shared bike is extremely useful. You can return it at 16 different places in the northern part of Noord-Holland.”
Bamboe road sign
The congestion on the road and rail has not yet been solved by only sharing transport. The Province is also testing sustainable solutions in a so-called testing ground. Asphalt with resin, planters made of grass and traffic signs made of bamboo: it is all tested there.
“Traffic signs are still made of aluminum and that manufacturing process releases a lot of Co2,” says project manager Arthur Scheffer. “The bamboo grows quickly and the product is easily replaceable and the material is in stock. As you can see on the sign: it has to last until 2039. Then I’d love to see you again,” Scheffer told presenter Koen Bugter.