Traffic jam facts

The Directorate of General Policy Advice (DAB) of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management has asked the Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis (KiM) to collate as many facts as possible about traffic jams in the Netherlands. The report offers a brief point-by-point summary of traffic jam development in the period just passed, causes of congestion and the ensuing social and economic damage. We also assess how motorists experience traffic congestion. This information was used during the Ministry’s budget discussions in the Lower House of the Dutch parliament at the end of 2007. In conclusion we provide a picture of recent and future policy measures to combat congestion. These involve the physical expansion of infrastructure. The document assesses the effectiveness of this policy in action. This and other data are sourced in part from the KiM’s 2007 Transport Balance Sheet along with various other sources.