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1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

 

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VVD: Emergency plan for cars

9 December 2008 - Tomorrow, Robert Flos (VVD) will present an ‘emergency plan’ for tormented motorists. Refuse collectors will be banned from working during the rush hour and the ‘green wave’ for cyclists will have to go. Flos hopes his efforts to help motorists are not a rearguard action.

During the coming years, Amsterdam will undergo the ‘largest renovation’ ever, the municipality announced last week. The VVD fears “endless traffic jams, annoyed motorists, a lot of extra traffic caused by people trying to find car parks that have become inaccessible and all sorts of additional costs for persons and enterprises as a result”.

Tomorrow, Flos will present an emergency plan to the city council. Besides a better work planning and tougher sanctions for contractors who fail to meet deadlines, he proposes to make refuse collectors and street sweepers work at night or at least outside the rush hour.

Flos also wants to stop the introduction of new green waves for cyclists and to remove the existing one at the Raadhuisstraat. According to tests by the municipality, the green wave lengthens the travel time for cars by three quarters of a minute, while shortening travel time by a minute and a half for trams and three minutes for buses. The impact on cyclists was not measured.

Flos is not concerned that abolishing the green wave will harm Amsterdam’s bicycle-friendly image – an image the municipality cultivates in order to promote the city abroad. “Cyclists don’t respect traffic lights anyway”, he argues.

In addition, “The city is definitely bicycle-friendly enough: separate bicycle lanes, free bicycle sheds and park-and-ride facilities. It’s bicycle-friendly image doesn’t hinge on a green wave for cyclists”.

Flos says the current administration is taking a host of measures to ‘drive motorists out of the city’. Is he not fighting a rearguard action? “I should hope not”. Flos says he expects the PvdA may support some of his proposals, including a rush hour ban for slow traffic and sanctions for contractors who fail to meet deadlines.

Photo: Green wave at the Raadhuisstraat

UPDATE 11 December - Alderman Tjeerd Herrema also wants to ban sweepers from major roads during rush hour, het Parool reports.

 

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