Traffic jams cost Dutch industry €1.4bn in 2018

According to research by Panteia, commissioned by evofenedex and TLN, the Dutch business community lost €1.4 billion in 2018 as lorries got stopped or stuck in traffic jams. The associations have therefore asked the government to quickly tackle the major bottlenecks on the roads.

This loss is 5.6 percent higher than in 2017 and the A4 between the Burgerveen and the N14 junctions has been identified as a particular blackspot for traffic jams, with a total loss of €26.1 million.

“These numbers [cause] alarm bells in me and I assume the cabinet too,” said Elisabeth Post, TLN Chairman. “Because while we are now taking on the damage from last year, the traffic jams are continuing to grow. We are still a long way from picking up projects that are currently being halted. New plans are desperately needed at the most persistent bottlenecks.”

The damage affects not only transport companies and companies that transport their own goods by road, but also the customers of transport companies, TLN has said.

“The increasing congestion damage is putting the logistics of Dutch trade and production companies under pressure,” added Machiel van der Kuijl, General Manager of evofenedex. “In the long term, this has a negative impact on the business climate for companies in the Netherlands. Investments in infrastructure are therefore desperately needed.”

TLN has said that smarter road designs would be a good solution to solving congestion problems in the country, for example by allowing traffic to ‘weave’ as little as possible. In other cases, improving public transport would be a solution so people take the train instead of the car.

The use of smart apps could also be a benefit to advise motorists when they should take to the road or public transport, TLN has also said, as well as increasing the capacity of the country’s railways and waterways.