EVO and Fenedex are calling on the House of Representatives to take measures to tackle the
traffic congestion problem in the Netherlands. In a petition yesterday, they drew MPs’ attention to the fact
that traffic jams cost the business community 1.1 billion euros.
The organisations want the government to invest more in
infrastructure and accessibility. The House of Representatives will debate
the approach to tackling traffic congestion. The views of MPs currently vary widely, as can be
reported on the EVO website. For instance, VVD MP Barbara Visser argues that
investment in more and ‘smart’ tarmac is needed. Martijn van Helvert (CDA) also
wants funds to be allocated to infrastructure. “This government has made 8
billion in cuts to infrastructure. If the government had made different choices,
we would now have good infrastructure and more jobs,” says the MP.
The PvdA and D66 have different solutions to the traffic congestion problem. For example, Duco Hoogland (PvdA) wants to tackle congestion through pricing in
mobility. D66, for its part, favours a pay-as-you-go system. The party also wants to
allocate funds to road improvements, but only in places where this genuinely
solution. “To really tackle traffic jams, we need to move towards
use. Car ownership could then be made cheaper by
for example, reducing road tax and purchase tax.”
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