Mobility is a hot topic these days. But it was also talked about a lot in the past. Last week we saw that traffic jams on highways (again) increased to large numbers and lengths. And the report Mobility and accessibility in urban and rural Netherlands from KiM showed that there are quite a few opportunities, but that the countryside is mainly dependent on the car. Is that so new?
And what’s new? Apart from the length of the traffic jams, the discussion about how we move has been going on for decades. And the differences between the big cities and the countryside (where the report consistently refers to rural areas) are simply large. About thirty years ago I lived in Uden and Veghel. Then there was the discussion about the (decades-long) construction of the A50. Those two centers of around 25,000 and 30,000 inhabitants at the time were accessed by a provincial road between Eindhoven and Ravenstein (where the N265, which was notorious for the traffic lights, connected to the A50) and one between ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Helmond, the N264 along the South Willemsvaart. By car, it soon took more than half an hour before you could travel smoothly after the first 20, 30 km on a highway. Didn’t have a car? Then you were screwed. In those places you had to rely on the necessary bus lines that together formed a beautiful star to ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Oss, Nijmegen and Eindhoven, but that journey easily took an hour. Yes, there were express services, but they did not stop everywhere. And did you live in Zeeland (the village), Gemert, Heeswijk or Mill? Well, then you first had to go to the larger village to transfer. At that time, the then Minister of Transport Hanja May-Weggen came to Eindhoven and noticed that there were so many cars. Well, how could that be?
The KiM report rightly points out that in the cities, especially the larger cities, the accessibility of facilities such as work, schools, shops and hospitals is good. Especially because of the typical urban options such as bus, tram, metro, you can get from A to B fairly quickly. However, outside those cities it quickly decreases. The report points out that public transport in rural areas is less, but that this in itself does not have to be a limitation, because of the higher car ownership. In addition, there is a movement for public transport to be cut in rural areas. After all, that is not profitable. And actually this seems like a chicken-egg question. Is the higher car ownership caused by the fact that public transport does not adequately meet the needs in certain areas? Or does public transport require less attention because car ownership is higher? The report does not answer that question.
Naturally, the researchers see good trends. In cities, where car ownership is being pushed back by more expensive parking permits (for a second car, for example), more shared cars, a finer mesh of public transport and P+R locations and more space for bicycles, there are more alternatives. In rural areas, higher car ownership means that shared cars have less chance and investments in public transport are determined on the basis of expected numbers of passengers. They are now in the car and it is apparently difficult to calculate how much you will get out of it if you were to build a new light rail connection, for example.
Another practical example. And then I start from my hometown of Nederhorst den Berg, which is not even really in the countryside, but half in the Randstad, nice and close to cities such as Hilversum and Amsterdam. You can reach those cities in about 25 to 30 minutes by car. Good to do. The bus to Hilversum runs roughly twice an hour. According to 9292.nl, the ride to the center of Hilversum takes at least 41 minutes. Then you are talking about a distance of 12 km and in that time you can also do that on an e-bike or even a regular bicycle. When we talk about facilities: if you want to go to the town hall in Loosdrecht, it can be done by car in about twenty minutes. The bike takes half an hour, but public transport will take you at least an hour and twenty minutes (twice an hour). And then fortunately I am not a director or councilor who has a committee meeting that runs until 10.30 p.m., because then I have to wait until 6.06 a.m. to take the bus to Hilversum station, then take the train to Weesp and the bus home. I arrive there at 07.38. If I want to be home the same evening, the meeting may not last longer than 9.45 pm, because I first have to walk sixteen minutes for the bus to the nearest bus stop (in a residential area in Hilversum). After a journey via Hilversum station and the train to Weesp with the last bus to Nederhorst den Berg I am home at 23.53, more than two hours later. For a distance of 12 km by car or bicycle. The choice will be clear!
The research was about the accessibility of facilities. And you know that you simply travel longer in the countryside than in a city. It would be to the government’s credit to look at practical solutions and invest in them. Certainly outside urban areas, the car simply has great advantages for which many people pay, even if it is expensive. Because there are simply no good alternatives. Is that why you have to bully those cars away?
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl