There will be additional access to the shopping center in Zwaagdijk-Oost to improve road safety. With this, the municipality of Medemblik finally meets the wishes of many visitors, the village councils and the board of the shopping center after eight years.
For years there has been a wish to better tackle the traffic at the shopping center in Zwaagdijk-Oost. Because since the coming from the mall in 2012 thousands of West Frisian visitors come and go. And that creates dangerous situations at the Tuinstraat-Zwaagdijk intersection, because the existing infrastructure is not equipped for this.
That is why there is talk of additional access, which should ensure a better distribution of traffic.
In 2020, a letter of intent was signed by Leo Entius, owner of the shopping center, and the municipality of Medemblik, but a solution did not seem to be forthcoming. “It is a lot of talking, a lot of sitting in each other’s chair. That also makes it tiring to start the conversation over and over again.”
Although it now finally seems to be moving, it does not yet lead to relieved faces. It’s been long enough for Entius. “It is a repeat of moves: we have been talking to the municipality for eight years. The villages were enthusiastic, but then it fell silent,” says Entius. “We are now three traffic investigations and two declarations of intent further. Signing takes no energy. This could have been done much faster: luckily no accidents have happened in the meantime.”
Because at the moment the shopping center only has one entrance. And that has to change, according to the village councils of Hauwert and Zwaagdijk-Oost, and the board of the shopping center. Together with the municipality of Medemblik, they have now drawn up a plan. The most important thing is that there will be a cycle path along the Noorderboekert.
A new entrance and exit for freight traffic to the shopping center must also be constructed. This should ensure that visitors to the site are less inconvenienced by the loading and unloading trucks.