Due to a shortage of materials and personnel at the Public Prosecution Service, it is not possible to limit the traffic nuisance at the Haringvliet. As a result, the transport sector is unnecessarily incurring millions of euros in damage. “Completely ridiculous”, TLN director Jan Boeve responds. TLN previously calculated that half an hour of extra travel time due to traffic disruption at the Haringvliet Bridge will cost the transport sector at least 53 million euros. After further investigation by Rijkswaterstaat, however, it appears that the loss of driving time in the evening rush hour is not 30, but at least 68 minutes, which increases the costs for carriers even further.
Deficiency
In conversation with Rijkswaterstaat, TLN, among others, called on traffic nuisance to be limited as much as possible. For example, by keeping both lanes open until the renovation in 2023. According to Rijkswaterstaat, however, this is not possible due to a shortage of materials and personnel at the police and the Public Prosecution Service. As a result, they would not be able to enforce the speed limit.
“Absolutely ridiculous. It really cannot be the case that carriers will stop en masse in the coming years and cause millions of euros in damage because it is not possible to install a few speed cameras or set up a route control in time. The highways will be closed from next Monday, so hurry is advised. How difficult can it be to install a mobile checkpoint before then? That will undoubtedly cost less than 53 million, the minimum that our members will lose if they are stuck in traffic on that route until 2023."
“This exceptional situation also calls for an exceptional solution. In addition to its importance for the transport sector, the bridge is indispensable for the accessibility of the region, for jobs and for emergency services. That is why the Public Prosecution Service and the police must do everything they can to maximize traffic flow. Otherwise, they will not only leave the transport sector, but an entire region out in the cold this summer.”
Parliamentary questions
The social and economic damage caused by the partial closure of the Haringvliet bridge is disproportionately high. That is why TLN together previously called on the province of South Holland to minimize traffic nuisance and to provide insight into the decision-making process for the chosen traffic measures. Various factions also asked parliamentary questions about the partial closure of the Haringvliet bridge, according to Transport and Logistics Netherlands.
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