Notorious roundabouts in Aalsmeer overhauled: fewer ‘incentives’ and buses on the brakes

The municipality, province, Amsterdam Transport Region, police and transport company Connexxion need more time to work out these measures. Most accidents have occurred on the roundabout of Burgemeester Kasteleinweg and Dorpsstraat in recent months. In particular, the bus lane that runs right across the roundabout here causes problems. Accidents also occurred on three other roundabouts, which are designed in a similar way.

Only on the roundabout of the Zwarteweg, buses because of school-going children run with the roundabout. Road users find it especially difficult not only to keep an eye on the traffic on the roundabout, but also to encounter a bus lane that runs right across it.

Stop & Go

The adjustments that will be made next month are mainly aimed at reducing ‘incentives’ for all road users, a spokesperson for the municipality told NH. “Think of removing the pre-sorting areas on the roundabouts, clarifying the bus lanes and adjusting the signage.”

In addition, the municipality wants to ensure that buses drive less fast on the roundabout of the Dorpsstraat by having them stop first. As of today, a Stop & Go has therefore been introduced. The bus must now come to a complete stop before the driver can continue. At the other roundabouts, the bus is already slowing down, because there are bus stops there.

The municipality also wants cyclists to slow down, but will examine this month how they will approach this.

These short-term measures should prevent accidents like yesterday’s. Then a meal delivery boy on his bicycle crashed into a Connexxion bus. There was a big crack in the windshield of the bus, but the delivery man escaped unhurt. A week ago, an accident involving a scheduled bus also happened on the roundabout. When the bus scooped a car from the away. A week before that, a cyclist was injured after a collision with a bus.

Neighbor of the roundabout Monique de Haas is happy with the first steps. “But I’m not convinced yet. It’s taking too long for that,” she tells NH. The Aalsmeerse hopes for measures that go much further.

Monique already sounded the alarm about the dangerous situation a few meters from her home months ago. At the beginning of April, she vented to NH. “It’s actually like I have to be a doctor or a nurse. You have to wonder if that’s okay, but at least I’m going to do a first aid course,” she said at the time.

Monique was annoyed, among other things, by high greenery along the roundabouts that obstructs the view of road users. The municipality has listened to her and has now pruned the greenery.

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Minor adjustments were also made to the marking last year. This was done on the basis of hard conclusions drawn by research agency DTV. The desk concluded that the traffic situation on the Burgemeester Kasteleinweg is unclear and road users unwittingly violate the rules as a result. The effectiveness of the new measures will be evaluated in three months and six months.