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2005 Archive

Most irritating traffic light at Frederiksplein

28 maart 2006 – According to visitors of News from Amsterdam, the city’s most irritating traffic light is at the Frederiksplein. Experts at the municipality find the complaint about the traffic light at the Mr. Visserplein to be the most justified complaint. The municipality has assessed all nominated traffic lights to see whetheter the complaints can be remedied.

Visitors of News from Amsterdam have submitted over thirty traffic lights that irritate cyclists. Subsequently, a vote was held to determine which is the worst traffic light. Most votes were cast on the Frederiksplein. The top ten irritating traffic lights are:

1. Frederiksplein (11)
2. Rokin / Dam (16)
3. Zeeburgerstraat / Mauritskade (13)
4. Berlagebrug (27)
5. J.P. Heijestraat (10)
6. Utrechtsebrug (2)
7. IJburglaan (1)
8. Pontanusstraat / Zeeburgerdijk (12)
9. Prins Hendrikkade (30)
10. J.P. Heijestraat / Overtoom (17)

The numbers between brackets correspond to the numbers that the traffic lights have been given in the list of candidates.

News from Amsterdam has asked Maren Mulders and Kees Moons of the municipal Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Department to evaluate the submissions. Some of the complaints are caused by practical problems, which will be remedied soon. News from Amsterdam will report on this.

Incidentally, an as yet unpublished study shows that Amsterdam performs well in comparison with other Dutch cities when it regards the waiting times for cyclists at traffic lights.

Whether cyclists will have shorter waiting times in the future, depends of the outcomes of the negotiations to form a new local government. Until now, cars and public transport are often given priority. The new government can decide to put more emphasis on the interests of cyclists, as the municipality recently suggested in a mulityear bicycle policy plan.

Several Amsterdammers would have liked to nominate a traffic light after all. “I would have liked to nominate Linnaeusstraat / Wijttenbachstraat”. “One that we find very bad as well is Nassauplein coming from Spaarndammerstraat / Haarlemmerstraat direction Nassaukade, because of the lack of space in front of the French fry stand”.

Another: “A waiting time of 2.5 minutes? That is nothing! At the corner Haarlemmerweg / Bos en Lommerweg the waiting time can be OVER 5 minutes!!! That is NOT exaggerated”. From Paramaribo, the Verlengde Gemenelandsweg / Wanicastraat was suggested as most irritating traffic light: “Is that any help?”

On the day of the municipal elections, the Telegraaf newspaper called on its readers to vote for one of the nominated traffic lights. An alternative suggestion was made as well: “call 0900-8844 and just say that the traffic light is broken...”

The telephone number turns out to be of the police, where they inform us that the number is not meant for complaints about traffic lights... Whether the piece in the Telegraaf has resulted in many telephone calls, they cannot say. Incidentally, complaints about traffic lights can be reported to the district.

Almost fifty people have cast a vote. Because of the enthousiastic response, News from Amsterdam will again organise an election of the worst traffic light next year.

More: Response from the municipality (only in Dutch), the candidates, background information