Economically-speaking, it is going well with the Netherlands, including the Eindhoven region. This strong economic growth brings with it more people, which means more traffic on the roads. And this, potentially, means more traffic jams.
Due to the ever-increasing population in the area, the Eindhoven Municipality is anticipating problems with traffic flow on the various major roads. “We expect problems with traffic flow on the A2 and N2 Randweg Eindhoven, and the A50 between Veghel and Eindhoven if the growth continues”, reads a press release issued by the City Council.
A report was recently submitted to the Dutch House of Representatives by the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management. In it, Minister Cora Van Nieuwenhuizen says that in five years, there will be ten per cent more cars on the roads, including those around Eindhoven. The travel time lost in 2023 will also increase by 35% per cent.
Problem analysis
A problem analysis for these routes has therefore been started on SmartwayZ.nl. This is a mobility programme of the Southern Netherlands. The purpose of the problem analysis is to gain insight into where and why bottlenecks that impede the accessibility and flow of the region arise.
From the get-go, various stakeholders, such as road users, local residents, and interest groups, have been invited to give their input on how to keep the region accessible. Not only during meetings, but also online. On the website a2randweg.smartwayz.nl, which was launched today, people can pass on their experiences on the A2, N2, and A50 as well as their ideas on how to improve the situation.
Problem-solving through social design
The bottlenecks on these roads are to be mapped out in two ways. Traffic statistics and accident data are analysed in an extensive traffic survey. The second, more innovative method is a problem analysis through social design. This means that stakeholders are actively involved before anything is put on paper; they get the chance to come up with solutions to the problem. It is expected that the advisory report will be presented to the SmartwayZ.NL programme board in the summer of 2019. This report will include the solution put forward by stakeholders as well as concrete proposals for follow-up actions.
Monique List, Eindhoven’s Councillor says, “The A2, N2, and A50 are vital for the growth of our region. By involving the users, the employers, local residents, and interest groups, a complete picture will be created of their needs as well as bottlenecks on and around these roads. In this way, we can arrive at good, targeted solutions. ”
Your experience and improvement tips are needed to visualise Eindhoven’s accessibility issue as well as the chance of arriving at the right solutions. Go to a2randweg.smartwayz.nl and give your opinion about the traffic situation on the A2, N2 and A50. Please note, this website is in Dutch only.
