News item | 16-03-2023 | 11:17
The car is the most popular means of transport in the Netherlands. There are about 9 million passenger cars on the road in the Netherlands. These drive about 70% of all kilometers traveled in the Netherlands and 43% of all journeys. Today, Minister Harbers is publishing his Automobility Development Agenda, in which he calls to continue to give the car space, in all parts of our country. The car is becoming smarter, cleaner and safer and will continue to play an important role in the accessibility of the Netherlands in the future. For everyone in every place.
Growth of car kilometers
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management wants facilities such as work, care, education and shops, but also family, friends and the sports club, to be and remain accessible to everyone. This is of great social and economic importance, but not self-evident. Where cities are becoming increasingly densely populated, the population will grow in the coming decades and roads around cities are often already busy, providing accessibility is becoming increasingly important. In addition, 900,000 additional homes must be built in the coming years. As a result, the need for accessibility is growing and more cars are expected to be added. All forms of transport are needed for the accessibility of inner cities and public transport, shared mobility and the bicycle play a major role. In addition, many residents still need or need their own car and parcels are delivered and inner cities are supplied by car. Electric bicycles and, for example, shared scooters are also increasingly being used in suburbs. Outside the city, the car often plays a greater role in accessibility, which is why it is important to continue to invest in it.
Clean, smart and safe
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is committed to clean, smart and safe car transport and good accessibility and quality of life in all parts of the Netherlands. The aim of the government is that from 2030 all newly sold cars on the Dutch road network will be emission-free. The ministry grants subsidies to stimulate the purchase of new and second-hand electric cars. In addition, it is in talks with developers and publishers of navigation apps to avoid school zones in route planners, for example. New functions in the car, such as brake assistance and fatigue detection, improve road safety around the car.
A reliable, safe and future-proof main road network is a precondition for offering motorists good accessibility. Investments are being made in traffic management and smart mobility solutions around major cities, among other things, and substantial investments are being made in management, maintenance, replacement and renovation to ensure that the road network is and remains available as much as possible.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management invests in all types of transport and, with this development agenda, is requesting space for the vehicle that the Dutch use by far the most. This year, the ministry will work out the development agenda in collaboration with partners, including interest groups.
Minister Mark Harbers: “People often cannot and do not want to do without their car. Our ministry invests in all forms of mobility and therefore certainly also in car accessibility. It is time again for the car to be given a prominent place at the government’s discussion tables, where we look at how the power of the car can be used to make the Netherlands as accessible as possible. The car is an indispensable part of our street scene, in fact, now that the car is also becoming cleaner, quieter and safer, the best era of the car is still ahead of us!”