Great, no more jams for you on your way to work :D

The planning how to divide the available land is incredibly good though.

What are main historical reasons for such a high population density in this particular area (Netherlands)?

Trade, probably. The land is good for agriculture, no mountains, so it's easy to move around, and the climate is mild. And of course, once you moved in, it's impossible to get out because of the jams :D

Actually 86% of the Dutch land area is unbuild. Motorways take 0,02% of the Dutch land area.

Yeah, the country is 'paved over' with motorways. Those environmentalists are completely right :D

Motorways take 0,02% of the Dutch land area.

how could it be?
we (in hungary) have the same ratio with much lower motorway density...

(1000km * 20m / 100.000km2 = 0,02%)

your density is about 5-6 times higher, isnt it?

Strange, the Netherlands has over 2000 kms of motorway but is only 41.000 km² :dunno:

Strange, the Netherlands has over 2000 kms of motorway but is only 41.000 km² :dunno:

Well, then if you count 25 m as an average width of motorway over there (it may be 12 m wide carriageway in each direction?), the value should be 0,12 % ... CZ has 0,032 % of paved motorway surface compared to the land area...

What are main historical reasons for such a high population density in this particular area (Netherlands)?

A comparatively advanced level of agriculture during the middle ages onwards led to the development of lots of medium and smaller sized towns. In the twentieth century a lot of these places were earmarked as 'growth towns' in order to spin off undesirable metropolitan development of the bigger cities onto more rural areas. These days there are very little truly rural spaces in the Randstad or the whole of the Netherlands bar the more remote parts.

Zoetermeer, Almere and Purmerend are good examples of these sattellite towns.

The main problems today in the Netherlands:

1) Every self-respecting municipality has new neighborhoodconstruction. Hence, increased travel from surrounding towns and villages to the main city. Crowded roads.

2) Central cities are not build for automotive travel, and adding new capacity is difficult due to resistance and limited space. Hence, building new neighborhoods on the edges of the jobcenters is also undesired due to the fact they outgrow their road/street network without much possibilities to increase this to handle the growth. My own city, Zwolle, is a good example of that. No new roads were constructed since the 70's, while the population growed from 60.000 to 115.000

Thanks for answers.

From late January 2009 on, commuters to Amsterdam have to take extra delays into account, because on the A1 motorway, the Muiderbridge will be replaced by a cable-stayed bridge because the current bridge is over 30 years old and carries more traffic (200.000 vehicles/day) than it is designed for.

^^I just heard on the radio, but people that drive there daily can get a "mobility pass" to travel with the public transport :)

^^ I know, they do that kind of projects more often.

Problems:

People already using PT get extra discount unfairly.

The amount of people using PT instead of a car is very low. They've added extra parking spaces at Lage Zwaluwe station on the A16 motorway. Result: 12 extra passengers per day. (of over 120.000 people using the A16 daily). Effect: 0,0001% fewer cars on the road.

My opinion about those mobilty/PT passes: Nice PR-talk, but doesn't really makes a difference on the road.

They only publish the amount of passes requested, but it remains a mystery if they are actually used daily by commuters or just for the occasional traveller.

How long will it take before this new bridge is finished? www.nu.nl doesn't yet say anything about it :dunno:

^^ Nu.nl is not your only source of media, I hope...

http://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/themas/wegen/nieuws_en_persberichten/

Ah well, but it's the one that I often use, and most news is published very very quickly, so that's why I use it.

Quite a number of lanes here!
http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u326/mblaak90/Wegenforum/IMG_9376-kopie.jpg

I found a Bundesautobahnfourish exit ramp on the A27 (http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&hl=nl&geocode=&q=oosterhout&sll=52.469397,5.509644&sspn=4.672406,9.84375&ie=UTF8&ll=51.628904,4.874094&spn=0.002324,0.004807&t=h&z=18). I didn't know we still had these in the Netherlands.

^^ What do you mean by BABfourish?

Very very short exit-ramp. You often see that on the BAB 4 in Thuringen and Sachsen, because it's very hilly over there.

^Some exit ramps are realy realy short in Germany yes. Very annoying, because you can drive about 130/150 and then you have to break as fast as you can!

To me it seems like an A4 problem. Poland also has those too short exit ramps at some spots on the Polish A4. The Dutch one doesn't have that though :D

Poland also has those too short exit ramps at some spots on the Polish A4.

Where?

I'm not sure where exactly, but there was a rest area with a very dangerous exit-ramp, followed by a sharp curve. I know for sure it was on the A4, and I guess somewhere near Legnica.

Very very short exit-ramp. You often see that on the BAB 4 in Thuringen and Sachsen, because it's very hilly over there.To me it seems like an A4 problem. Poland also has those too short exit ramps at some spots on the Polish A4. The Dutch one doesn't have that though :DIt's not because it's hilly and it's not because it's A4 - it is because the road is old!

All old 'Reichsautobahnen' had such short exit-ramps. And I think the part of the PL-A4 is also a old RAB.
After the modernisation and widening to 2x3 the (DE-)A4 has also normal exit-ramps - everywhere.

I see. I was particularly referring to the section around Eisenach, where the road is very narrow. Luckily they're building a small new stretch around Eisenach. Did they already finish that. And will that be 2×3?

When was the first traffic jam in the Netherlands?

Some say 29 may 1955, others say 9 august 1928 (Olympic Games).

http://www.sportgeschiedenis.nl/userfiles/vroege%20file.jpg

^^ No crashbarrier? (even a dirty one? :lol:)

PL-A4 is also a old RAB.

Yes, but it deos not haave such short exit ramps like on old section of your A11.

^^ No crashbarrier? (even a dirty one? :lol:)

Even the shoulders have different pavement, and the road is made of concrete. Radi will not like this :ohno: :D

Look at this pic i found on google, its in the Netherlands i dont know wich road it is :


http://www.almostsmart.com/upload/files/2005/Feb/MultipleDeathAutobahnCrash.JPG

I don't know which road it is, but I saw a similar accident on the Dutch-Belgian border......with tomatoes :D
It's over ten years ago though.

Look at this pic i found on google, its in the Netherlands i dont know wich road it is :

http://www.almostsmart.com/upload/files/2005/Feb/MultipleDeathAutobahnCrash.JPG

heres the hungarian edition:
http://www.langlovagok.hu/kepek/2008/marcali/080618_balatonszentgyorgysor/eredeti/080618_balatonszentgyorgysor_07.jpg

MORE IMAGES (http://www.langlovagok.hu/html/galeria/2153.shtml)

I don't know which road it is, but I saw a similar accident on the Dutch-Belgian border......with tomatoes :D
It's over ten years ago though.

I cant find a tomato case, but heres a pumpkin case: :nuts:

http://www.langlovagok.hu/kepek/2008/szolnok/081103_szolnokifa/eredeti/081103_szolnokifa_02.jpg

MORE IMAGES (http://www.langlovagok.hu/html/galeria/2673.shtml)

:lol:

...and the last one (and most brutal) for now (and today): the PB gas bottle case:

http://www.langlovagok.hu/kepek/2006/bisztriczanett/061002_m7kamion/eredeti/061002_m7kamion_09.jpg

MORE IMAGES (http://www.langlovagok.hu/html/galeria/1566_1.shtml)

^^ The last one is just scary. Ka-BOOM!

The pumpkins looked somehow like the tomatoes, but I'm afraid I can't find any pics of that one as well, since it was over 10 years ago.

Can somebody post me a picture from Speed Limits at the Netherlands? Thanks

^^

http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/MES3935.jpg

Thank you, Timon!!!!

Note that there are intermediate limits all the way from 15km/h (on 'living' streets), 30km/h zones in urban residential areas, 60km/h zones on rural non-thoroughfares, 70km/h on urban thoroughfares and recently short 90km/h signs on motorways for legal reasons. It's a mess.

And of course 80 or 100 km/h on the provincial roads, and 80, 100 and 120 km/h on the motorways. Normally the matrix signs over the motorway indicate 50, but that's a completely different story :D

Considering that the A6/A9 connection won't be there, are there any plans to upgrade the Gaasperdammerweg (A9 Holendrecht-Diemen)?

^^Yes, it will be widened. One proposal is the Kamelenvariant (Camelvariant) The name comes from the way it looks like from the side, two tunnels and a humb in the middle:

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j185/franswoerden/Kamelvariant.jpg
Bigger version (PDF file) http://www.zuidoost.amsterdam.nl/aspx/download.aspx?file=/contents/pages/86706/gdwwebsitenov2007kamelenvariant.pdf

It should be a Dromedaris though because there is only one humb :lol:

Map with the proposed widenings of the motorways southeast of Amsterdam:
http://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/images/Stroomlijnalternatief_tcm174-134829.jpg

Interesting news today about the recent fuel prices;

More fuel tanked despite higher gas prices

The high fuel prices in the first three quarters of 2008 did not caused a drop in fuel usage, in contrast, the fuel consumption went up a little compared to the same period in 2007.

That shows a recent publication of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). During the first nine months, 10.2 billion liters of fuel were consumed as opposed to 10.1 billion liters a year before. That is an increase of 0.9%. The increase was because of diesel, because the petrol usage went down a little.

The amount of petrol used dropped 0.9%, and diesel usage went up by 2.2%. Most liters still go to trucks, but more and more personal vehicles drive on diesel.

Meanwhile, after the first 8 months of 2008, prices collapsed at the pump, reaching € 1,69 per liter or $ 10 per gallon in June, while prices are now down to € 1,20 per liter or $ 5.9 per gallon at the end of December.

Despite the much lower gas prices, people did also not drive a lot more recently. Ofcourse more people take other transportation options for short grocery-store drives, but that's very marginal on the total consumption, main economist Michiel Vergeer said. The lower price might encourage people to go on winter holidays with their car instead of an airplane.

It is interesting because it shows that mobility is not as price-elastic as many think. This is of an important value in the current electronic toll proposals discussions in the Netherlands, since it is assumed that people would drive less if their cost per kilometer increase. The gas price increase between 2003 and 2008 was more than the electronic tolls would have done to more expensive kilometers, so it's doubtful again if the very expensive implementation and operation of the electronic tolls would be justifiable to the result.

Doesn't this say that we still depend on our cars too much?

In some way, yes. But there's also not a way to lower the cardepency in a cost efficient way. I don't think "toll 'em to death" is very good for the economy. People don't like to give up the convenience of their own transportation instead of relying on something you can't control.

It is interesting because it shows that mobility is not as price-elastic as many think.

and it shows that most of the people arent joyriding but do their job... :)

and an iteresting paradoxon: those who has time to joyride (b/c no job) has no money to buy fuel... :lol:

Man alive, another new sign near Arnhem city. I doubt if there are more announcement signs with distances like these in the Netherlands.
http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/5774/waterbergeg9.jpg

I also saw this new signs in the Haarlemmermeer (not as posted above, but just the new sings)

The traffic jam pressure (length multiplied by time) dropped 1.4% this year, the first drop in years. This was mostly because of slightly fewer traffic jams during the evening rushhour. Traffic made a swift from rushhours to non-rushhours, because the traffic jam pressure increased by 4% between rushhours. This also means our road network has reached the absolute saturation point. The busiest day was March 25th with 888 kilometers of traffic jam, according to the ANWB tourism and automobile association.

Zwolle-Zuid (South) Tour

A drive through Zwolle-Zuid the largest residential neighborhood of Zwolle with 35,000 inhabitants.

uB2F_NRR3ZI&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

N50 Zwolle - Emmeloord

A drive on the Northbound N50, the major highway connecting the city of Zwolle with Kampen and Emmeloord.

kWIvWrLI-Cc&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

Zwolle-Zuid (South) Tour

What are these magnet needle shaped markings on the road?

N50 Zwolle - Emmeloord

Boooring, 2x1, noone is overtaking :D

What are these magnet needle shaped markings on the road?

I'm not sure what you mean, can you give me a timeframe where you see it?

Boooring, 2x1, noone is overtaking :D

It's 2+1 ;) It was really quiet on the roads today. Holiday time, nearly no traffic jams today.

I'm not sure what you mean, can you give me a timeframe where you see it?

1:00, just before this Peugeot turs right.

It's 2+1 ;)

So only Scandinavians are crazy enough to make 2x1 roads:nuts:

Oh what you see are either brick or painted "traffic droplets". There are placed to make it clearer there's a turn in the road. It's also a traffic calming object, since it is believed it gives slower speed, hence fewer people take their car. (I actually can't believe experts accept that kind of thought).

The first real workday of the year starts off with 1.200 kilometers of traffic jam :eek:

No wonder, we had rain tonight and later on temperatures dropped below zero. I leave for school within an hour, and I guess I can skate over the roads, instead of bike :ohno:

A2 Maastricht → Eindhoven
Langzaam rijdend tot stilstaand verkeer tussen Maastricht-Aachen Airport en Waalre 72km

A58 Bergen op Zoom → Eindhoven
Langzaam rijdend tot stilstaand verkeer tussen Roosendaal en Best 70km

A67 Venlo → Turnhout
Langzaam rijdend verkeer tussen Helden en Waalre 30km

A2 Utrecht → Eindhoven
Langzaam rijdend tot stilstaand verkeer tussen 's-Hertogenbosch-Centrum en Ekkersweijer 25km

:nuts:

The longest one according to the ANWB is on the A58, and is 45 km long :crazy:

Chris, do you go to work by bike since you moved to your new apartment? :D

There isn't much snow here.. Only like 1cm. Southern Netherlands got the most snow.

The first real workday of the year starts off with 1.200 kilometers of traffic jam :eek:

I will wait a while before I will leave to the office :D. The ANWB reports 651 km on the highways. That means that with connecting roads and provincial roads the 1,200 km traffic jam mark could very well be true. :(

The news on the radio just reported that there aren't any traffic jams.
But it's very icy, so you couldn't go any faster than 40km/h on some highways this morning.

Yeah, I almost fell of my bike a few times this morning. Tomorrow is going to be hell, it's going to get quite cold (up to -10) and I will definately freeze on my way to school. When it stays to be dry like this, the roads won't be very slippery anymore, which is a good thing :)

It took people 4 hours to cover just 80 km / 50 miles from Kerkrade to Eindhoven this morning.

In the East and the South of NL it's going to be -14 this evening.
At least they say it's going to.

Two lanes are closed on the A6 between Almere and Muiden, because of cracks in the asphalt. This happened because of the heavy frost, and they cannot repair it until it stops freezing, but that will only be in three or four days. Meanwhile, Almere-Muiden is only one lane for a big part, which creates a huge bottleneck. :ohno:

Does anyone know when they start building the new bridge on the A1 near Muiden?

N50 Zwolle - Emmeloord

A drive on the Northbound N50, the major highway connecting the city of Zwolle with Kampen and Emmeloord.

kWIvWrLI-Cc&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

Does the green paint between the center lines have any specific meaning? I've seen something similar (red, I think) in pictures of French roads.

^^ It means 100 km/h is allowed. The Dutch government tries to make a uniform road layout for every speed limit. It doesn't work out too well so far...

The first real workday of the year starts off with 1.200 kilometers of traffic jam :eek:

maybe there are too many car-dependent shopping centers... :lol:

Yeah, I almost fell of my bike a few times this morning.

Maybe you should try a trike... :lol:

kWIvWrLI-Cc&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

wow. you have quite a lot of paint...

we even have no paint for the line on the edge of the roads... :ohno:

Maybe you should try a trike... :lol:

That doesn't go that fast, unfortunately :lol:

That doesn't go that fast, unfortunately :lol:


U know what a trike is dont u;)
http://www.google.com/search?hl=da&q=trike&lr=

Yes, I do. However, I think that H123Laci means the unmotorised one, since my bike is also unmotorised. Therefore, I don't think that a trike is faster then a bike, and if it is, I still won't buy one, because the people at school will laugh at me ;)

In the Netherlands here it is -15 degrees! :cheers:

Yes, I do. However, I think that H123Laci means the unmotorised one, since my bike is also unmotorised. Therefore, I don't think that a trike is faster then a bike, and if it is, I still won't buy one, because the people at school will laugh at me ;)

yeah, the no motor one... :)

maybe this one is fast enough, and you will be admired not laughed: :lol:
http://www.hpvelotechnik.de/images/produkte/scorpion/scorpion_trike_race_schwarz_rechts.jpg

I think I will still be laughed at though :D

Yellow (temporary) signage spotted near Almere;
http://i43.tinypic.com/mmvj9l.jpg

A5 between Haarlem and Hoofddorp closed down because of ice (?) (black ice?).

Yeah, there are quite some problems in the Amsterdam area with freezing rain.

This morning was horrible with snow, but everything melted during the day. Now it is freezing again.

^^ It means 100 km/h is allowed. The Dutch government tries to make a uniform road layout for every speed limit. It doesn't work out too well so far...
Seems expensive but it's a neat idea. :)

This morning was horrible with snow, but everything melted during the day. Now it is freezing again.

Here in Eindhoven it hasn't been melting and there's new fallen yesterday. It's terrible traffic cause there hasn't been any snowshivers up here, just one big mess.

Over here it's just white because of the frost. It's beautiful, but it's f***ing cold.

You can sum up Holland in two sections ... traffic jams and boring landscape.Good things about Holland ... Great people and Amsterdam ;))))))))))))))))

^^That quite well sums it up, yes :D

By the way, it's almost time for a third thread about the Netherlands ;)

I know,i live there. :D But i'm originally from Croatia.I wish i could live in Croatia and take Amsterdam with me ;)

Previous thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=604939)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2400657245_c7519c708d_o.jpg

:cheers:

New thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=784148)

Whaoo. Third dutch highway thread :cheers:

Yeah, the third third thread, and the second serious third thread :D

Yesterday there were lots of problems with traffic around frozen lakes and canals, because everybody went out to skate. Today the police seems to handle the traffic better, because there isn't much trouble yet :)

Let's inaugurate this thread with some pics I just took today.

Sunday traffic on the A28 motorway between Meppel and Zwolle.

1. A28 Northbound looking at interchange Lankhorst with A32.
http://i39.tinypic.com/33b1q46.jpg

2. A28 Southbound looking at some haze near exit Staphorst.
http://i39.tinypic.com/1zg9ibo.jpg

3. A28 Southbound, traffic was very light today.
http://i39.tinypic.com/1exctl.jpg

4. A28 Northbound, moved to another overpass, looking at exit Staphorst.
http://i41.tinypic.com/331gmdt.jpg

5. Looking at the Staphorst viaduct.
http://i41.tinypic.com/ief2ts.jpg

6. A28 Southbound looking at Shell gas station "Dekkerland".
http://i42.tinypic.com/11hud0h.jpg

7. A28 Soutbound, moved to an overpass further south.
http://i43.tinypic.com/jgp277.jpg

8. Looking north at Shell gas station Dekkersland.
http://i40.tinypic.com/1zeib2o.jpg

9. Gas is still one of the most expensive in the developed world. € 1,26 is $ 6.4 per gallon at the moment.
http://i39.tinypic.com/qxl7cx.jpg

10. Another viaduct to the south. Looking at the exit signage for the rest area. This is northbound.
http://i40.tinypic.com/2i7seoi.jpg

11. Southbound signage for exit Nieuwleusen.
http://i40.tinypic.com/m98y89.jpg

12. Notice the 100m markers in green.
http://i42.tinypic.com/16jkbyp.jpg

13. Further south, at the overpass near exit Nieuwleusen. Notice the former watertower which is now a restaurant.
http://i44.tinypic.com/23ijbpi.jpg

14. Distance signage from another overpass.
http://i44.tinypic.com/2l90ev8.jpg

15. Looking south from the same overpass.
http://i39.tinypic.com/1zqpthk.jpg

16. This is the Hessenpoort industrial park of Zwolle. The Scania maintenance facility is shown.
http://i39.tinypic.com/t6w66a.jpg

17. Huge billboard, thank god not too widespread in the Netherlands.
http://i40.tinypic.com/algec3.jpg

18. Room in the median for a third lane, the A28 will be widened to six lanes in the next few years.
http://i44.tinypic.com/300fzn5.jpg

:cheers:

You should have allowed JUST ONE MORE post in the old thread :D

Yeah, the third third thread, and the second serious third thread :D

Yesterday there were lots of problems with traffic around frozen lakes and canals, because everybody went out to skate. Today the police seems to handle the traffic better, because there isn't much trouble yet :)

I know, my dad also went to overijssel for an ice-skate tour. He said about 10.000 people were skating the same tour.. Causes a lot of traffic.

Great pictures of a serious bottleneck, it is always fun to drive that stretch of the A28 and get stuck in a trafficjam. It would be great if this road would be changed into 2x3 lanes (or even more!).

I know, my dad also went to overijssel for an ice-skate tour. He said about 10.000 people were skating the same tour.. Causes a lot of traffic.

Yeah, the Abcoudermeer is frozen as well and for the first time in 12 years it is possible to skate on the lake. I went yesterday morning with a friend and there were only 4 people (including us) skating. That was brilliant. I also went in the afternoon, however, and it was very busy again. Lots of parked cars as well. Luckily I can get there by bike :)

What?! You can skate in the Netherlands and we can't in Estonia? Climate changes suck!

The shoulder seems extremely wide. Does it follow NL standards?

^^ Yeah, normal shoulder width here is at least 3.5 m

What do you guys mean by 'shoulder'? Maybe a stupid question, but I want to know :lol:

^^ Vluchtstrook. Emergency lane is also a term, but shoulder is more widely used I guess.

What do you guys mean by 'shoulder'? Maybe a stupid question, but I want to know :lol:

The area of paved road to the right of the edge line, the part that is not used for through travel but is sometimes used for emergency stopping.

Ok. Thanks :D

A28 Zwolle - Hoogeveen

A drive of 45 kilometers from Hattem via Zwolle to the Hoogeveen cloverleaf.

p63jU01sB2A&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

^^ Vluchtstrook. Emergency lane is also a term, but shoulder is more widely used I guess.

Or Spitstrook

^^ As soon as the shoulder is used as a peak lane yeah.

Generally speaking it is a "vluchtstrook", "spitsstrook" only in case it is used as a peak lane. Luckily most motorways have shoulders, that makes it much safer. It's at least better then nothing.

We have also a "plus lane", which is a peak hour lane on the left. Their design vary, the one on A28 near Zwolle is extremely narrow (2.5 m) and the one on A1 near Deventer seems near-regular width.

A28 near Zwolle:

Sunday traffic:
http://i41.tinypic.com/10xf59g.jpg

regular traffic:
http://i42.tinypic.com/30bmpes.jpg

Busy on A2:
http://i41.tinypic.com/21lib9e.jpg

Is it ever quiet? :D

Every day Snow , Ice , Rain in holland:ohno:

The next 10km on that webcam is actually the spot with the most traffic jams in the Netherlands. There were 278,930 minutes that there was 1 km of traffic jam.

Funny, the "Achterhoek" (rural area in eastern Netherlands) advertised throughout the country with German-style signs.

http://www.ad.nl/multimedia/archive/00191/Achterhoek_Achterho_191512a.jpg

http://www.omroepgelderland.nl/content/nieuws_63978.jpg?01d4174e05de6f4385597d5b2befa9b5

http://dd50.inducks.org/wegen/imgp/p016/zaanstadIMGP1036.jpg

I only went there twice. Once on a bike trip, and once by train. I didn't really like it though :lol:

No, it's boring as hell, pastures with small wooded areas and no interesting towns. But in the eye of the urban Randstad-inhabitants who never saw a cow it's interesting. It's some kind of legend that people from the Randstad think milk is produced at a factory, they don't know it comes from cows :lol:

When I went there by train I went to Winterswijk with a friend. When we got there the first thing we thought was "when is the first train going back out of this place" :lol:

Yeah Winterswijk really is el culo del mundo, van Gogh used to live there though.

^^Really, in the Netherlands? I've never seen that over here.

You mean something like this:

http://i39.tinypic.com/35l9air.jpg

Yes, exactly like that.

Location: N307 Dronten - Kampen (Flevoland part)

From the Roadside rest area.

I actually took a picture of it a while ago.
http://i42.tinypic.com/14ikdgn.jpg

No, it's boring as hell

Says the guy from Zwolle................. ;)

I didn't say Zwolle is a bustling city ;)

Abcoude is way more interesting than Zwolle :D




Ahum..... :D

A1 a.k.a Warschauer Allee

Warsaw Alley. Called that way because of the amount of Polish truckers, and the E30 eventually went to Warszawa.

Part I

1. Arderweg viaduct.
http://i39.tinypic.com/2ahxl3.jpg

2. Arderweg.
http://i40.tinypic.com/29ooaa9.jpg

3. Spitsstrook camera.
http://i42.tinypic.com/2ymzrfc.jpg

4. Arderweg.
http://i42.tinypic.com/2a84uu1.jpg

5. Trucks, trucks, trucks.
http://i44.tinypic.com/29aqvs2.jpg

6. Arderweg.
http://i43.tinypic.com/2ui87ll.jpg

7. Beltdinkdijk viaduct bij Bathmen.
http://i40.tinypic.com/21481hj.jpg

8. Beltinkdijk.
http://i39.tinypic.com/69m4on.jpg

9. Beltdinkdijk, parkeerplaats.
http://i40.tinypic.com/23kagas.jpg

10. Globetrotter in action.
http://i41.tinypic.com/4qotbt.jpg

11. Beusebergerweg bij Holten.
http://i44.tinypic.com/30at6kj.jpg

12. Beusebergerweg.
http://i42.tinypic.com/fe19x3.jpg

13. Parking Holten.
http://i40.tinypic.com/o8hykz.jpg

14. Larenseweg bij Holten.
http://i41.tinypic.com/2wdo76s.jpg

15. Inhalende trucks.
http://i42.tinypic.com/2njhop4.jpg

16. Actie zal niet gewaardeerd worden door de tientallen auto's erachter.
http://i39.tinypic.com/2czaas2.jpg

17. Truck alley.
http://i44.tinypic.com/eijaci.jpg

18. Afslag Holten.
http://i39.tinypic.com/biq9gk.jpg

Part II

19. Markeloseweg.
http://i41.tinypic.com/w20qk5.jpg

20. Parking Holten.
http://i40.tinypic.com/2zeihs5.jpg

21. Marsdijk.
http://i41.tinypic.com/a0ylb6.jpg

22. Marsdijk
http://i44.tinypic.com/50k109.jpg

23. Oxersteeg bij Deventer-Oost.
http://i39.tinypic.com/3145icx.jpg

24. Oxersteeg
http://i44.tinypic.com/9734us.jpg

25. Afslag Deventer-Oost.
http://i40.tinypic.com/2n8vmr.jpg

26. Sluinerweg bij Voorst.
http://i39.tinypic.com/25k5rgz.jpg

27. Sluinerweg.
http://i41.tinypic.com/153ptl2.jpg

28. Voor aansluiting Voorst.
http://i43.tinypic.com/raxicg.jpg

29. Tot teleurstelling van velen zal de spitsstrook niet open zijn.
http://i41.tinypic.com/2jbaq0.jpg

A1 a.k.a Warschauer Allee

No kidding :D Is it offcially approved?

----------

What is sluinerweg?

Yes.....





....by Chris :D

Sluinerweg is just some local road crossing the A1. Most Dutch road names are stupid anyway. I like German and English road names way better. :)

Well, I don't think it's officially the Warschauer Allee, since we normally do not name motorways, but I think the name is appropriate. The German A2 has also been called that (I wrote a bit about it on my blog). Most non Dutch trucks there are Polish.

Sluinerweg is just some local road crossing the A1.

OK, bad guess. Why this additional lane in the middle being closed when there is a heavy traffic(non-dutch standards:D) and what it is for?

That's a Spitsstrook (http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=&hl=nl&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnl.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpitsstrook&sl=nl&tl=en)

It's closed because this is not seen as heavy traffic in the Netherlands. It is only to be opened if there would be congestion otherwise. They should change it into a regular lane in my opinion.

^^ Does narrowing the road when there is 'low' traffic make any sense whatsoever? Differen markings, red crosses on signs every xx meters. What for?

^^ Rules, and rules only. It makes no sense at all I know, but this country is literally drowned in rules that go beyond any pratical approach.

The costs of a spitsstrook are eventually higher than a normal lane, because they have to be monitored 24/7 with camera's and the additional electronic signage that's required isn't really cheap either. The initial investment is a bit lower, but the operational costs are far higher than a regular lane.

:weird:

From now on the very first place in moronic road ideas:ohno:

It's so unbelivebly stupid I don't know what to say.

Most Dutch road names are stupid anyway.

Have a look in this (http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=nl&geocode=&q=donald+ducklaan,+almere&sll=52.401566,5.329508&sspn=0.009269,0.019312&g=donald+duckstraat,+almere&ie=UTF8&z=16) neighbourhood :D

:weird:

From now on the very first place in moronic road ideas:ohno:

It's so unbelivebly stupid I don't know what to say.

Still better than nothing at all, which would have been the alternative.
Spitsstroken could be constructed a lot faster because of some loopholes is the law.

Heavy traffic lane? WTF? Yeah, that's really the dumbest idea I've heard of. :crazy:

What's the fine for driving in that lane anyway?

Really, a lot of money. If one person starts driving there, more people will follow. It's really a stupid idea. There is nothing wrong with 2×3, except in the Netherlands, as it seems :ohno:

-edit- Driving over the shoulder just to overtake traffic will cost you €200. I think that it might be the same as for using a closed Spitsstrook.

There is nothing wrong with 2×3, except in the Netherlands, as it seems :ohno:
There is something wrong with our politicians, left and right. Why bother voting at all with their ivory tower attitude?

omg, NL. highways are jammed all the time,... and NL citizens continue to use the highways ? i cant understand, all the highways must be upgraded with wideness i bet but the overcrowding in this country may cause troubles...so, the future is the train in NL, isnt it?

The bicycle is the past and the future, IMO :)

A50 Apeldoorn - Zwolle

From viaducts. If roads are named, those are the crossing local roads.

1. Beemterweg.
http://i44.tinypic.com/2lcpqf4.jpg

2. Beemterweg.
http://i40.tinypic.com/343k6u0.jpg

3. Richting noorden.
http://i41.tinypic.com/e5l4z9.jpg

4. Broeklanderweg viaduct.
http://i39.tinypic.com/v592yv.jpg

5. Afslag Apeldoorn-Noord in de verte.
http://i39.tinypic.com/a3dzq9.jpg

6. Kanaalweg, afslag Vaassen.
http://i40.tinypic.com/2dayan6.jpg

7. Brug over het Apeldoorns Kanaal.
http://i44.tinypic.com/2ntut5w.jpg

8. Oenerweg viaduct.
http://i44.tinypic.com/11kw4m8.jpg

9. Afslag Epe in de verte.
http://i42.tinypic.com/33pcz9h.jpg

10. Tussen Apeldoorn en Apeldoorn-Noord, Terwoldseweg viaduct.
http://i43.tinypic.com/ehcf3p.jpg

11. Afzichtelijke rij lichtmasten hier.
http://i40.tinypic.com/245bqmg.jpg

12. Kijkend richting zuiden richting afslag Apeldoorn.
http://i44.tinypic.com/2zf788p.jpg

13. Vemderweg viaduct, afslag Heerde-Zuid.
http://i44.tinypic.com/2drvwr5.jpg

14. Werlerweg viaduct, afslag Epe.
http://i43.tinypic.com/2up5qi0.jpg

15. Zoom op de afslag.
http://i41.tinypic.com/34ep8iv.jpg

16. Overzichtsfoto afslag Epe.
http://i40.tinypic.com/2pqntys.jpg

Have a look in this (http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=nl&geocode=&q=donald+ducklaan,+almere&sll=52.401566,5.329508&sspn=0.009269,0.019312&g=donald+duckstraat,+almere&ie=UTF8&z=16) neighbourhood :D

Or this Town name :

http://van-vanity.de/orte/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/sexbierum.jpg

http://www.onzetaal.nl/plaatjes/gassel.jpg

^^ What does it mean?

^^ Probably nothing, it's just long.

^^ It's a village in the old peat bogs that were pretty much strip-mined in the 19th and early 20th century. Gasselte is the name of a proximate, much older village on the sands of Drenthe from where the 'colonization' of the peat areas took place. So the new settlement was called 'Gasselter (from/near Gasselte)-nijveensche (of the new peat)-mond (mouth)'. Other examples are Exloo - Exloërmond (either the eerste or tweede, first or second), Buinen, Buinerveen and Nieuw Buinen or Valthe and Valthermond. Check out the land subdivisions in this area: http://maps.google.nl/maps?hl=nl&ie=UTF8&ll=52.928775,6.981812&spn=0.285186,0.617981&z=11

To keep it on topic, the A37 motorway was only recently opened here and the N33 and N34 that run near this area were never completed as motorways. The eastern parts of Drenthe and Groningen got the shaft after infrastructure funds ran out in the seventies.

Saturday traffic near Den Bosch :D
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Utrecht%20-%20Den%20Bosch/2009-01-10/IMG_7997-700.jpg
By PW100

:weird:

From now on the very first place in moronic road ideas:ohno:

It's so unbelivebly stupid I don't know what to say.

Don't worry you'll get there too. Give it a few more years for the EU to stop cutting you slack on environmental policy and you'll be squeezing through just as we are.

Legislation to widen roads is incredibly complicated mostly due to EU environmental rules. Those rules will soon enough fully apply to Poland as well.

And as Timon mentioned before, there is lack of good local roads for far distances...

People spoiled themselves with motorways

Wow, national traffic law enforcer Koos Spee quit. He's hated by many, since he got in office, the number of fines rose from 4 million per year in 1998 to a staggering 12 million in 2008. I don't think many people will regret he's gone.

Driving over the shoulder just to overtake traffic will cost you €200. I think that it might be the same as for using a closed Spitsstrook.

thats quite cheap...

it will cost about 600euro in hungary... :ohno:
(almost two months salary for a starter teacher)

EDIT: driving by 76km/h on a main road at a 30km/h construction site speedlimit will cost 1000 euro!
(about three months salary)

I think we should change the name of our country to FINESTONIA... :ohno: :bash:

The bicycle is the past and the future, IMO :)

yeah... there are bikes for all purposes:

bike for high speed travel on large distances:
http://bicycles365.com/uploaded_images/bicycle-race-778043.JPG

for rough terrain:
http://ll.broadbandsports.com/images/mtb_2.jpg

for taxi:
http://www.aspentravel.hu/varosok/Macao_Riksa.jpg

and for cargo:
http://www.surlybikes.com/uploaded_images/Human-powered-move-3-735186.jpg

Don't worry you'll get there too. Give it a few more years for the EU to stop cutting you slack on environmental policy and you'll be squeezing through just as we are.

we are about to widen the M0 south to 2x3+1 in a project financed by the EU by 85%... :banana: :lol: :cheers:

Okay that's enough cycling for the insane :D

Anyway, they've started an interesting trial on the A1 freeway near Amsterdam, it's called DYNAMAX, Dynamic Maximum speed limits. It means the speed limit can be increased to 120 km/h when traffic allows, and be lowered if it is busy. Hope it's gonna be good, it's irritating to drive 100 km/h on an empty rural freeway.

^^Chris, recently you mentioned that they were going to build a new bridge near Muiden on the A1, starting on the 23rd of January 2009. I haven't heard anything anymore ever since. Do you know anything abou this project, and if they will start on this date?

I heard the jacking up of the old bridge took more time than expected, but rumours says it's another reason. We'll just have to sit back and wait.

We'll just have to sit back and wait.

I just hope that we don't have to wait another 50 years, like with the A4 MD :ohno:

^^ get a good massage easy-chair, and that 50 years will elapse quite fast... :)

btw: nice new avatar... but what does it represent?

He doesn't like the Yankees.

^^What a surprise :D

Deventer Tour

A tour of Deventer, the 3rd largest city in Overijssel (after Enschede and Zwolle).

_0TPF5i_yxQ&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

N337 IJssel river dike: Deventer - Zwolle

A drive across the IJssel river dike from Deventer to Zwolle (25km)

Zx-RQuaHtVc&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

What is the average speed of most cars on such road in NL?

The speed limit is 80 km/h. However, It differs, I drove on the N35 highway before which also has an 80 speed limit, but I barely got above 70 - 75 because of slowpokes. This road is better, I could mostly drive between 80 and 90.

Due to the realisation of the A37, the economical crisis there are now plans to make a motorway from the A37 to Cloppenburg

I bet Chris has numbers or he knows where to find it:)

The artical in Dutch...........

Via E233 sneller naar Bremen
* DVHN | Gepubliceerd op 21 januari 2009, 23:32
* Laatst bijgewerkt op 22 januari 2009, 07:45

Via E233 sneller naar Bremen
emmen/nieuweschans -

Duitsland wil versneld met de verdubbeling van de E233 tussen Meppen en Cloppenburg beginnen. Er is deze week overeenstemming bereikt over de voorbereidingskosten van 6 miljoen euro. Nederland betaalt hieraan mee. De weg zou in 2012 klaar kunnen zijn.

http://www.dvhn.nl/multimedia/archive/00912/verdubbeling-E233_912076a.jpg

De Duitsers werken aan infrastructurele maatregelen die de economie in Noord-Duitsland de komende jaren fors moet stimuleren. De verdubbeling van de E233 vanaf Meppen, het laatste stuk van de A37 tussen Hoogeveen en Cloppenburg, is daar onderdeel van.

Sinds de oplevering van het Nederlandse deel van de snelweg tussen Zwolle en Meppen, begin vorig jaar, is al een forse toename van het vrachtverkeer op deze route tussen de Randstad en Duitsland zichtbaar. Verwacht wordt dat deze groei versnelt als de Duitse snelweg richting Bremen helemaal klaar is.

Juist de Duitse overheid leek de verdubbeling van het laatste stuk van de A37 tussen Meppen en Cloppenburg te vertragen. Binnen het bedrijfsleven werden daarom al plannen ontwikkeld de weg met private middelen voor te financieren.

Volgens Hermann Wessels, hoofd van het grensoverschrijdende samenwerkingsverband Interreg in de Eems Dollard Regio, wordt de private voorfinanciering nog wel onderzocht bij de voorbereiding van de definitieve plannen voor de A37, maar wordt ook nadrukkelijk naar 'ouderwetse financiering' door alleen de overheid gekeken. "Als we de planning en het onderzoek zo snel kunnen realiseren, zou gezegd kunnen worden dat de overheid de financiële middelen versneld beschikbaar stelt", aldus Wessels.

De Duitse overheid overweegt de verdubbeling volgens Wessels mee te nemen in het conjunctuurpakket waarmee de kredietcrisis bestreden moet worden. De Duitsers willen daarvoor ook overeenstemming bereiken met Den Haag. Er staan op korte termijn gesprekken gepland. "De stedenkring Zwolle-Emsland en de gemeenten Emmen en Coevorden zijn bereid een financiële bijdrage te leveren", zegt Wessels.

Wie betaalt er mee?

De voorbereidingskosten voor de verdubbeling van de E233 tussen Meppen en Cloppenburg worden op zes miljoen euro geraamd. Drie miljoen daarvan wordt betaald met Europese subsidies. De Nederlandse staat en de deelstaat Nedersaksen willen 900.000 euro ter beschikking stellen. De Landkreisen Emsland en Cloppenburg en de Stedenband Zwolle-Emsland betalen 400.000 euro. De industrie- en handelskamers van Oldenburg en Osnabrück-Emsland betalen elk 75.000 euro.

Dutch, Duits or German? :D

Would be great to drive in 1.5 hours to Bremen :) My record so far is 2 hours via that route, but on a sunday, so no truck traffic. Otherwise it takes longer.

i was wondering what the effect on the amount of traffic was, now the A37 is motorway all the way to the border.... The article says something about 'een forse toename van het vrachtverkeer ' meaning a significant rise in truck traffic.

When i read something like that i wanna see numbers!!:)

I wonder what effect this is going to have on traffic levels on the N33 in Drenthe and Groningen.

:gaah:
http://i39.tinypic.com/5tbn7.jpg

Wow, 718 km of jams......how long's the motorway network again? :D

2400km

Note, the above map is only of the Randstad conurbation. There were more traffic jams (most likely around 1000 kilometers).

The pic also shows jams on non-motorways, please note that ;)

Yeah but it's not like the N roads make up the majority of clogged routes, as you can see on the map. So it's still an outrageous disgrace how many jams there are :rant:

We're kind of used to it now :(

During busy rushhours 20 - 25% of the total freeway carriageway mileage becomes congested. (2500 km freeway * 2 directions = 5000 km and there are often 1000 - 1200 kilometers of traffic jams).

To compare this with the United States; that would mean 50.000 kilometers of traffic jam. Or to Germany; 10.000 kilometers of traffic jam.

Congestion on dutch terms doesn't neccessarily mean a typical stau, or stationary traffic, right? What's the rule for naming slow traffic a congestion on a motorway - 50 km/h average speed? How many of those jams is frozen, stationary traffic?

traffic jam = < 50 km/h for at least 2 kilometers in NL.

70 km/h in the TomTom reports right?

Only for the yellow parts in TomTom HD traffic on motorways with a 120 km/h speed limit.

Significant problems in the Den Bosch area today. The northbound A2 was closed just north of Den Bosch because the entire roadway came loose. Recently, numerous locations faced damaged pavement due to the combination of freezing weather and insufficient asphalt (porous asphalt concrete is not suitable for long freezing periods). Right now, over 60 locations have reported damages pavements.

The A2 was closed and caused a virtual gridlock in the region, the deviation motorway of A59 was jammed on it's entire length that was used for detouring traffic (31 kilometers), as well as the A27 nortbound motorway which was jammed over 16 kilometers. In total, northbound drivers had to negotiate over 50 kilometers of traffic jams. The regional road network is now, around 20.00 hours still jammed near Den Bosch.

we are about to widen the M0 south to 2x3+1 in a project financed by the EU by 85%... :banana: :lol: :cheers:

Enjoy it while it lasts.

M0 should be finished, then it would be even better

The A73 is a new motorway connecting Venlo to the A2 south of Roermond, it has 2 tunnels, which have been a problem child from the beginning. They are partially opened with one lane per direction and close all the time due to too high trucks being registered. Limburgian broadcasting station L1 kept count, and has published that the two tunnels have been closed 880 times in the last 11 months. :ohno: :eek: :gaah:

The A73 is a new motorway connecting Venlo to the A2 south of Roermond, it has 2 tunnels, which have been a problem child from the beginning. They are partially opened with one lane per direction and close all the time due to too high trucks being registered. Limburgian broadcasting station L1 kept count, and has published that the two tunnels have been closed 880 times in the last 11 months. :ohno: :eek: :gaah:

That's nearly three times a day! :crazy:

In weekends they're always closed AFAIK. It's time for this problems to get fixed, this situation is laughable :ohno:

I know those tunnels. They suck hard.. They are near Roermond, they were even closed in the middle of the summer vacation, just at the time that we had to pass through them..

Are you kiddin' me? How come such a low clearance was designed for those tunnels?

Cheapskate Netherlands at it's best.

... Limburgian broadcasting station L1 kept count, and has published that the two tunnels have been closed 880 times in the last 11 months. :ohno: :eek: :gaah:

Whoa, then I should be happy I managed to drive thru them last year in november :) And I was really wondering why is there only one lane opened :bash: - are they going to open it fully anytime this year? With the A52 being finished, it will be a quite good choice to travel from Ruhrgebiet to Belgium...

BTW the N280 is a quite nice expwy there, shame there are traffic lights on the junction with A73, not enough space for a complete interchange?

BTW the N280 is a quite nice expwy there, shame there are traffic lights on the junction with A73, not enough space for a complete interchange?

Netherlands = stupid rules country.

Motorways are not supposed to have full interchanges with other roads. :nuts:

Really, I can't believe which moron makes up these stupid rules.

Look at this exit near Schiphol airport: It could've been a nice trumpet or curve, but they choose a 90 degrees turn instead. :bash:

http://i42.tinypic.com/14tlwle.jpg

Look at this exit near Schiphol airport: It could've been a nice trumpet or curve, but they choose a 90 degrees turn instead. :bash:

http://i42.tinypic.com/14tlwle.jpg

:lol:

Look at this exit near Schiphol airport: It could've been a nice trumpet or curve, but they choose a 90 degrees turn instead. :bash:

Yeah, stupid, but we have such a curve as well :))) But it has at least some history of project changes, so we know why:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=50.101334,14.588331&spn=0.00329,0.009656&t=k&z=17

and just close to it on a ring road a missing collector lane with a stop sign :bash:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=50.098773,14.593985&spn=0.00329,0.009656&t=k&z=17

Official explanation = Saving money

Netherlands = stupid rules country.

Motorways are not supposed to have full interchanges with other roads. :nuts:


Why is that? The "Let's make life for motorists one hell of a nightmare" logic? :bash:

If I remember correctly there's also that rule that forbids buidling separate-grade intersections within city limits in NL, innit?

I'm not sure if there's a rule about that, but they hardly do grade-separated intersections in urban NL. Which is why even our smaller cities have too much congestion. 2 km of the N35 2x2 at grade beltway sometimes cost 20 minutes while my city has a population of only 117,000....

http://i42.tinypic.com/14tlwle.jpg

I've seen that before there and there is one strange thing for me, it seems like that upper aitport service road and the on-ramp to A4 southbound were originally planed to make one continuous curve.

There is an additional asphalt laid on the left side of the ramp and the airport service road also makes some strange curve before it ends as 2x2.

Maybe plans were changed somehow? Or is there going to be some change in future? I just don't believe that these projects were such stupid (at least not originally)...

^^ I've seen newer junctions constructed this way.

For instance the new N36 south end on the A35 motorway near Almelo.

^^ I've seen newer junctions constructed this way.

For instance the new N36 south end on the A35 motorway near Almelo.

Hm, I see... Somehow, the N36 looks like to be extended westbound to me, then it would make sense :) But you have a point, another stupid one ;)

Almere:
http://i40.tinypic.com/2ptzeo4.jpg

Apeldoorn:
http://i43.tinypic.com/dr36a0.jpg

Epe:
http://i43.tinypic.com/11sj9lt.jpg

Deventer:
http://i44.tinypic.com/261kl10.jpg

Oldenzaal:
http://i41.tinypic.com/w7loq1.jpg

De Lutte:
http://i44.tinypic.com/2ecnteb.jpg

Middenmeer:
http://i40.tinypic.com/345k0p1.jpg

many, many pics :)

Proved :)

Anyway, I still like the way how Dutch motorways look like, green good looking interchanges, very good pavement etc etc... The only bad thing overthere (that I see) is that there are too many cars and esp. trucks driving on them :D Agreed? :lol:

Yeah, that's true. The pavement is nearly always excellent. Sometimes I think that they can't find a way for real investment (widenings) so that they spend the money on the most expensive type of pavement they can find (porous asphalt concrete).

nonsense half cloverleaf ICs...

It is sure they planned to continue those motorway crossing roads...

otherwise they would have been built trumpets, wouldnt they?

It is sure they planned to continue the motorway crossing roads...

otherwise they would have been built trumpets, wouldnt they?

No, that's the whole point...

Like I said, motorway junctions with non-motorways are not supposed to have full interchanges like trumpets or cloverleafs. There are a few exceptions though.

They do that on purpose to "make the distinction between the mainline roads and the secondary roads more clear".

^^ well, thats really stupid...

we have our own stupid rule:
C/D lanes have to be built independently from AADT...

so we even build expensive C/D lanes in cloverleaves and between ICs closer than 1km when the traffic volume is lower than 5.000

Another new stupid thing;

With a collector/express setup, like the reconstructed bypasses of Den Bosch and Eindhoven, the collector lane is not considered part of the motorway, and therefore gets a N-number. Hence, you have a A and N road with the same number running immediatly adjacent to eachother :nuts:

^^Really? How stupid.

By the way, is that sharp curve near Almelo gone since the A35 ends at Wierden now, and not at Almelo?

^^ Yeah, that's a normal diamond exit now.

Finally, didn't several people die in that corner?

It is sure they planned to continue those motorway crossing roads...

otherwise they would have been built trumpets, wouldnt they?

As for junction schiphol: I thought it actually was a trumpet, but they rebuild it into this thing... But for the other shown examples I think there were/are plans to connect the other end to other (local) roads.

If you want to see more of Dutch idiocy of traffic calming, check this out;

It goes as follows, it used to be a 50 km/h 1+1 lane road.
Then they lowered the speed limit to 30 km/h.
Then they remove one lane artificially
Then they put a bus stop at that only lane that's left.
So if the bus stops, the entire street is blocked
:nuts:

sketch:
http://i39.tinypic.com/2cnzg8z.png

Yeah, that's sick. The lack of a real busstop (with full passing possibilities) when there's plenty of room is one thing, but this...

Do you have pics of that? I've never seen that in this country. I can't believe that they do that :ohno:

Traffic calming my ass. Let's make the cars block the street and waste gas instead of free-flow. I also hate those "wedges" that block one lane alternately on tight neighbourhood streets and make you slalom through the road instead of driving straight. There's plenty of that crap in German suburbs.

I took two pictures today;

(sunday traffic).

location (http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=nl&geocode=&q=Nieuwe+Deventerweg+41,+Zwolle&sll=52.488895,6.112883&sspn=0.009368,0.019312&ie=UTF8&ll=52.490098,6.108999&spn=0.009368,0.019312&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr) <- Google Maps is outdated a bit here.

http://i39.tinypic.com/1622mhg.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/qswo0o.jpg

I took this picture on the only outbound road in Stadshagen-Zuid, home to 10,000 inhabitants. If the bus stops here, the whole road is blocked when people commute to work.
http://i29.tinypic.com/rr1nhd.jpg

I believe this bus stop in the middle of the street is very important to Zwolle's transportation and prosperity. Just look at those masses of passengers. :D

It's the same in Hoofddorp. On one of the bussiest roads in the middle of the city there are only 2 lanes (1+1 road).
But there are 2 busstops. So on a bussy saturday or sunday there are a lot of traffic jams in the city.
There's also one in the city center, but when it's bussy and the bus stops, it doesn't care, you have to wait anyway.

I don't see a reason why there should be speed limit of 30 km/h when there is such a clear view for drivers and bicycles have their own lanes.

Our government really traffic to run as slow as possible, that's why :ohno:

Yeah our government is as hypocrite as possible, whining about every 0.1 microgramme of PM10, while letting cars idle deliberatly is policy?

This kind of thinking permeates US planning too. There's a perverse mindset rooted in the 1970's that sees the car as the root of all evil, so anything that punishes drivers must be good. They think if you make things miserable enough for drivers they'll walk or take the bus instead (though this clearly hasn't happened). It completely fails to recognize the progress that's been made in cleaning up car exhausts, or the fact the best way to minimize emissions is to minimize slowing and stopping, and try to keep cars moving steadily at 30 mph/50 kmh or higher, where they use the least fuel per mi/km.

The only way I would support such mind-numbingly stupid design is if the artificial lane blockages and central reservation were constructed from several "planners" all tied together and cemented to the ground. Then I'd run one of these down the road:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3321/3222317200_b87316cb97.jpg?v=0

Okay, that might be a little extreme :D

Anyway, do speed cameras operate on roads with a 30km/h speed limit?

Chris - you have to stop bitching about our motorways. I live in Zeeland (the South) and I frequently drive into Belgium - our roads are heaven compared to what the Belgians are forced to drive on :D

^^ Yep! Maybe the best in the world.

And considering they are that busy.. they are not jammed at all!

Some suckertrucker was driving a 4.3 meter high combination, which he had to get a clearance with a designated route for, and he took another route, via the Schiphol tunnel, which is 4 m high. He took down 6 matrix overheads, 50 lightingapplications and a bunch of audio installations in the tunnel. 3 carowners reported damage due to road furniture flying around.

Truck drivers shouldn't be allowed to have independent thoughts. Just stay on your designated route and don't leave the slow lane :D

suckertrucker

:lol: Not going to add a third rhyme to that?

Seriously though, one for the "stupidity on your roads" thread.

Yeah, accident day today. This morning five trucks collided on the A27. Noone injured though.

This is for people with a REALLY short memory:

http://dd50.inducks.org/wegen/imgb/b009/n35zone60.jpg

by Harry Fluks (http://wegnummers.autosnelwegen.nl/wegen/px035n.html)

Yeah, accident day today. This morning five trucks collided on the A27. Noone injured though.

Yes, it was nice. I had more than an hour to enjoy the view over a river from a bridge:toilet:

Must be fun :ohno:

Didn't your customer get pissed? You're a taxidriver right?

Let's show some widening works of the A2 motorway. It's not like NOTHING is happening in NL to improve traffic, although it might sound that way sometimes. ;)

The A2 is being widened for most of it's length between Amsterdam and Eindhoven, that's about 90 kilometers. Work has been split up in several areas.

This is about the future configuration:

Amsterdam - Utrecht 2x5
Utrecht 4x3
Utrecht - Deil 2x4
Den Bosch 4x2
Eindhoven 2+3+3+2

Hopefully, they also begin with Den Bosch - Eindhoven and Deil - Den Bosch, since those will otherwise be the only 2x2 sections between Amsterdam and Eindhoven.

Some pictures, by PW100, member of the Dutch autosnelwegen forum, we would like to thank him for his great pics.

Den Bosch area
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Den%20Bosch/2009-01-10/IMG_7967-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Den%20Bosch/2009-01-10/IMG_7969-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Den%20Bosch/2009-01-10/IMG_7970-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Den%20Bosch/2009-01-10/IMG_7971-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Den%20Bosch/2009-01-10/IMG_7973-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Den%20Bosch/2009-01-10/IMG_8004-700.jpg

Eindhoven area:

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8109-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8110-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8112-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8113-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8114-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8116-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8117-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8121-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8122-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8123-700.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8126-700.jpg

This is how the N201 is gonna look near Vinkeveen. Notice the left emergency lanes and huge median.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/7017/viaductgeuzenslootai9.jpg

When I drove over the ringroad Eindhoven (A67 --> A2 --> A58) a month ago, it seemed very chaotic to me. I hope that this will improve soon. At least this chaos indicates that they are working on it.

This is how the N201 is gonna look near Vinkeveen. Notice the left emergency lanes and huge median.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/7017/viaductgeuzenslootai9.jpg

That junction looks nice. You can see some of the widening works taking place from above on Google Maps:

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=&ie=UTF8&ll=52.223804,4.984832&spn=0.015589,0.047507&t=k&z=15

That is very outdated. The section where you see sand over here (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=&ie=UTF8&t=k&ll=52.21474,4.987289&spn=0.004654,0.009656&z=17), is already being used.

When I drove over the ringroad Eindhoven (A67 --> A2 --> A58) a month ago, it seemed very chaotic to me. I hope that this will improve soon. At least this chaos indicates that they are working on it.

Actually, I noticed the traffic is flowing quite nicely, even during rushhour. Mostly, because the beltway of Eindhoven had only 2x2 lanes until 2004, when a peak hour lane was opened (nearly permanently). Since that one opened, traffic jams were signficantly shorter. From 2004 to 2011, there will be a widening from 2x2 to 4x2 or 2+3+3+2 lanes (not sure).

The only problem is the massive amount of accidents on the Eindhoven beltway, it's usually closed for at least once a day, causing huge delays.

This is how the N201 is gonna look near Vinkeveen. Notice the left emergency lanes and huge median.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/7017/viaductgeuzenslootai9.jpg
:drool: 5 lanes each direction!! WOW!

Stunning motorway really. 10 lanes, double shoulder, huge median. One of the most massive future roads in Europe.

How is the intersection problem going to be solved. Reconstruction of all junctions? It would be somewhat difficult to accomodate 4 more lanes to the existing ones.


And btw, is Den Bosch and Hertogenbosch the same city?

And btw, is Den Bosch and Hertogenbosch the same city?

Yes they are. Some cities have an alternative spelling. You will see 's-Hertogenbosch on the signs, while people say Den Bosch.

Other examples;

Gorinchem - Gorkum
Den Haag - 's-Gravenhage
Amsterdam - Mokum (although that's more like slang).

Really nice ramp viaduct, though I wish it didn't have those thickened portions at the bents.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/PW100/A2%20Eindhoven/2009-01-25/IMG_8110-700.jpg

2x5 lanes for N201? That's some kind of local road right?

I meant the N201 exit. :eek:

Would be kind of crazy to have the N201 ten lanes... although 4 lanes would probably be needed.

Heerhugoward loves Poland!

Photo by H. Fluks.
http://home.wxs.nl/~fluks4/wegen/b016/kaliszhhwaard.jpg

Traffic on a motorway:

http://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/images/drukke%20weg_tcm174-175238.jpg

Heerhugoward loves Poland!

Photo by H. Fluks.
http://home.wxs.nl/~fluks4/wegen/b016/kaliszhhwaard.jpg

Ah, twin cities. Many cities and towns in Poland have those singpost with directions and distances to all of their twin cities too. :cheers:

Abcoude is a twin city with Lennik, Belgium. I read it on Wikipedia, so I'm not sure if it's true, and I've never seen signs about it over here.

maybe only whit bigger city's like capitals.