The Infrastructure Fund will henceforth be automatically renewed every year. Traffic minister Schultz van Haegen announced this to the House of Representatives on Budget Day. In 2017, €5.9 billion will be freed up for infrastructure. In addition, legislation will be amended to allow experiments with self-driving vehicles.
The automatic extension of the Infrastructure Fund means that funding for roads, railways, regional transport, waterways and the management and maintenance of the Netherlands’ infrastructure is secured for the coming years. These agreements follow the government’s decision this spring to extend the Infrastructure Fund by two years – from 2028 to 2030 – as part of the 2017 budget. By extending the fund, the government hopes to maintain the Netherlands’ leading global position. “The Netherlands has an excellent infrastructure and, with it, a solid foundation for the Dutch economy. To maintain our leading global position, we will need to continue investing in new infrastructure and new forms of smart mobility well into the future,” said Schultz van Haegen.
Expansion of the road network
Minister Schultz and State Secretary Dijksma are allocating 5.9 billion in 2017 for new infrastructure and the management and maintenance of roads, railways and waterways. As the economy picks up, traffic on the roads is increasing. To cope with this growth, the road network is being further expanded. In 2016, the A4 Delft–Schiedam was opened, a new link that improves traffic flow in the Rotterdam region. During this government’s term of office, 717 kilometres of additional lanes will be made available.
Self-driving vehicles on public roads
In addition, the Ministry has announced that in 2017 it will focus on smart mobility and the development of intelligent traffic systems, whereby vehicles can communicate with, for example, traffic lights and traffic control centres to improve traffic flow. The legislation will be further amended to allow for trials of self-driving vehicles on public roads without a driver present in the vehicle.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
Image: Rob van Esch / Shutterstock.com
