Existing policy
In 1987 the first Decree on Air
quality became active, in the Netherlands; there
was already a municipal traffic and a noise policy: to stimulate the use of
bicycles and public transport and to create areas with little traffic and to
concentrate traffic on wide streets. This policy is and will be accomplished by
altering the road infrastructure.
Bicycle infrastructure
In Utrecht 29% of
the number of journeys takes place by bicycle.
For both the town and region
main cycle ways are signposted, with high quality surfaces for bicycle traffic.
At main crossings there are tunnels for cyclists and pedestrians. An important
issue in the design of these tunnels is that people feel safe.
There are five secure guarded
bicycle sheds and many other provisions without security in Utrecht. In
some streets there are bicycle boxes which can be locked.
In the plan for the redeveloped
railway station (pubic transport terminal) six new sheds will be built for
about 20.000 bicycles.
Public transport infrastructures
Public Transport is divided into a) longer distance public
transport with higher speed, direct connections and b) local public transport
that stops in the close vicinity of departure and destination. Both forms of
public transport use free bus-lanes and get priority at traffic lights.
Motor traffic infrastructures
The road infrastructure is based
on three principles: functionality, homogenity,
predictability, which leads to a categorisation of roads. Research has shown that road categorisation
improves traffic safety and better behaviour of road users.
The policy is concentrate
traffic if possible and spread if necessary.
In this way it was possible to
create a situation in which most people (in Utrecht 90%)
are living in areas with little traffic. Of course this means that there is
more traffic in the other (wider) streets. In these streets the aim is to avoid
exceedances of the LVs+MOT
(limit values and margin of tolerance).
From 1997 through traffic was no
longer possible in the old centre of Utrecht. The
centre is now divided into parts. It is very difficult to drive from one part
to another part. The result is that traffic is made to use the surrounding
wider streets.
Too much traffic used the roads
alongside the canals, this was very much reduced by
traffic-measures like restricting use to vehicles with a permit.
In the seventies a part of the
canal running around the old city was changed into a road to give more space to
the traffic. At this moment the municipality is working on a project to bring
back the water into this former canal, part of this project is already
completed.
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