Mobility report 2012 (English summary)
From 2000 to 2011, time loss due to congestionand delays on the main road network increased by 22%. In 2011, congestionon the main road network decreased as compared to 2010.
This report is available in Dutch.
The primary reasons for this development were the implementation of peak-hour commuter lanes, road widening projects, and traffic management (improved utilisation of the road network). Given the ongoing expansion of road capacity, 2013 will see a further decrease in congestion on the main road network. Subsequently, congestion levels are expected to once again increase, owing to an improving economy and corresponding increase in car mobility, which, since 2005, has not grown as strongly as in previous years.
The KiM Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis reached these conclusions in the Mobility Report 2012. KiM is an independent research institute within the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. In the Mobility Report, KiM provides an annual overview of the state of mobility in the Netherlands.
The levelling off of car mobility growth rates is also apparent in countries such as Germany, France and the United States, but this is not solely attributable to the global economic crisis. KiM studied four possible causes: satiation of car ownership and usage rates; the alternative mobility behaviour of young people; the rise of the internet society; and increases in trips abroad. At present, only the decreasing car use rates among young adults in the Netherlands appear to have clearly influenced the reduced mobility growth rates. It is highly probable that an improved economy and slight decrease in fuel prices will result in car mobility experiencing light growth (1 to 2%) over the coming years.
In 2011, train usage rates increased more than during the previous two years, which was particularly attributable to the increased use of the OV-student public transport pass. In 2011, the numbers of air travellers were higher than the levels reached in the peak years of 2007 and 2008. In 2011, the development of road freight transport continued to lag behind that of other transport modes.
In 2011, the costs associated with traffic jams, traffic accidents and environmental damage due to traffic volumes amounted to between €19.8 and €21.5 billion. Traffic accidents accounted for the highest costs: between €12 and €13 billion.