Angry and disappointed. That’s the mood of Hans van de Laar, Alderperson for mobility in Geldrop-Mierlo. The Dutch cabinet does not want to widen the A67 between Eindhoven and Geldrop with additional lanes, for the time being. “This is important for the entire region”, he says.
“A bitter pill”, Van de Laar calls the minister’s decision. “It was always postponed but now it looks like a cancellation. The money is also gone now, as it is now being spent on other projects”.
For years, the regional municipalities have been lobbying for the widening of this stretch of highway. Almost every day there are traffic jams between Eindhoven and Asten, and there are often accidents due to the congestion. So extra lanes are desperately needed to relieve traffic, according to region officials. Van de Laar feels that this urgency is insufficiently seen in The Hague.
Condition
“The A67 here handles traffic to the German border, the Belgian border and for the whole region including large companies like ASML”, he emphasises. “A widening here is a precondition for the entire Brainport area. That way there will be throughput again. We (municipalities, the state and the business community) have all agreed to put a lot of money into good traffic measures, such as bicycle paths, public transport and hubs. But then the highways have to be robust. That is a prerequisite for Brainport, an important growth engine for the whole country”.
Van de Laar: “There are too many accidents and traffic jams now. When traffic is congested, and that happens more and more often, traffic is also dense in the village centres. In Geldrop and Mierlo, too, you then get cut-through traffic. It is not getting any better”.
Consultation
Regional administrators are going to raise the widening of the A67 with the cabinet again in the near future. Once again, the message will be that money is needed to build extra lanes.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
