• Arriving safely and quickly
• Crowded roads
• Alternatives to the car
• The environment
• Supertankers
• Obstacles and safety
• Air transport
• Space for water

Arriving safely and quickly

The Netherlands has a long tradition of transport. Located around the North Sea estuaries of the Rhine, Maas and Scheldt rivers, the country has become the gateway to Europe, especially since the abolition of Europe’s internal borders. Its central position in European distribution also makes it an attractive location for international enterprises.

The seaport of Rotterdam is one of the largest in the world, transhipping tens of millions of tonnes of goods per year. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is Europe’s fourth largest airport for freight and passengers.

Crowded roads

Mobility has increased enormously since the 1980s and is still growing. There are now more than seven million private cars and two million commercial vehicles on Dutch roads. The government is working to reduce road congestion and ensure the country’s future as a transport hub with access to major commercial centres. Measures to combat congestion include extra lanes for traffic during the rush hour and electronic signs advising drivers of alternative routes.

In the next few years, policy will aim mainly to use the existing infrastructure to the full, for instance by installing traffic lights to regulate access to motorways and by creating more but narrower traffic lanes. Efforts are also being made to reduce major bottlenecks. Various electronic systems have been introduced, and will become more important in the future. Reliability and safety of infrastructure are always a priority. To that end, several infrastructure maintenance and improvement projects are scheduled or in progress.

The Dutch government has abandoned the policy of laying down rules and plans in detail, realising instead that mobility is a matter of working together. Public-private partnerships and decentralisation give private parties and local and provincial authorities a bigger role in improving mobility and road safety.

Alternatives to the car

Mobility is essential to modern life, and cars are an essential part of it. But the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management also encourages alternative modes of transport. Together with public transport companies, it is working to provide a more efficient public transport system. Liberalisation will create new opportunities for bus and taxi operators, providing greater scope for competition. One alternative mode of transport is the “train taxi”, which offers a shared service for train passengers at a fixed low fare. Regional taxis serve a similar purpose in less densely populated areas.

Cycling is still an important and popular mode of transport in the Netherlands. In the cities especially, bicycles are a cheap, healthy alternative to cars. They are also the fastest means of getting about. In addition, the government encourages car-sharing and park-and-ride schemes to help reduce car use. Slowly but surely, a European network of high-speed trains is taking shape. By 2007, the train journey from Amsterdam to Barcelona (via Rotterdam, Brussels and Paris) will take a mere seven hours.

The environment

More road and air traffic means more noise and pollution. Dutch mobility policy explicitly addresses concerns about the negative impact of increasing mobility on human health and the environment. In addition to imposing speed reductions on motorways and supporting research into alternative fuels, the government is investing generously in the development of cleaner, quieter vehicles. Top priority in 2006 will be given to improving air quality.

Supertankers

The Dutch freight industry accounts for 6.5% of gross domestic product and a large share of the European market. In 2004 Rotterdam was the second largest port in the world. It handles 30% of all seagoing goods loaded and unloaded in the EU. The port is constantly modernising to maintain its market position.

Container terminals now dominate it, and a new deep channel has recently been cut between Rotterdam and the sea to provide access for ever-larger supertankers. The opening of the 160km Betuwe Line for goods trains in 2007 will link Rotterdam with the European hinterland. The Netherlands’ other major seaports are Amsterdam, Velsen/IJmuiden, Delfzijl, Eemshaven, Vlissingen, Terneuzen and Vlaardingen.

Millions of tonnes of goods arrive in the Netherlands each year, largely by sea, road or inland waterway. Most are destined for the hinterland, chiefly Germany, and continue their journey mainly by barge or truck. Dutch goods transport companies are among the largest in the EU, accounting for 40% of goods carried by water and 25% of those carried by land.

Obstacles and safety

Safety is an important factor in goods transport. Increasingly stringent safety regulations apply to transport by air, water, rail and road, and the various inspectorates collaborate ever more closely to enforce them. Wherever possible, high-risk facilities such as railway yards, tunnels and ports are located away from built-up areas. The Inspectorate for Transport, Public Works and Water Management is responsible for enforcing safety regulations.

Special measures have also been introduced to improve road safety. An example is the compulsory blind-spot mirror for trucks, which gives drivers a better view of pedestrians and cyclists. A warning system has also been devised to alert truck drivers who are in danger of falling asleep. And finally, special techniques now make it possible to load trucks efficiently and prevent them from overturning.

Air transport

As well as Schiphol, the Netherlands has several other airports, such as Zestienhoven (Rotterdam) and Beek (Maastricht). Air travel is still increasing. The main airport, Schiphol, is of great economic importance. Its future and possible expansion are a subject of constant debate.
Any developments must take account of the many, often conflicting, interests at stake. Commercial interests, for instance, are often incompatible with the interests of local residents or environmental organisations. Regional airports are playing an increasingly important role.

Since the attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001, security measures have been increased and tightened not only at airports but also at air traffic control centres and in aircraft themselves. The Inspectorate for Transport is largely responsible for monitoring and enforcing safety regulations.

Space for water

The Netherlands has an abundance of water, and for centuries the Dutch have relied on dykes and pumping stations to keep the sea and rivers in check. The country is known around the world for its Delta Project (the response to the disastrous floods of 1953) and for its dykes and reclaimed land. Serious flooding in recent years, notably in 1993 and 1995, has forced the government to adopt new strategies.

The high water levels are caused by global climate change, which will bring higher temperatures and more precipitation in the future. The sea level is also expected to rise by 85 centimetres over the next century. The keynote of the new water policy, developed after the floods, is that the Dutch must learn to live with water rather than fight against it.

The Netherlands will create space for water. Land will be reserved in both urban and rural areas to build reservoirs for times of drought, but managed flood storage areas will also be in place to limit damage in times of emergency. The aim is to accommodate the natural flow of streams, rivers and the sea – and keep the Netherlands safe and dry.