More space and attention for cyclists and public transport

To ensure that De Ronde Venen remains safe and easily accessible in 2040, the municipality must take action in the coming years to encourage the use of bicycles and public transport (OV). Cyclists, public transport and pedestrians will benefit from more space to keep the municipality accessible, traffic safe and livable. However, the car will continue to play an important role in mobility for years to come.

This is the heart of the draft Mobility and Road Safety Plan 2023-2030 (PMV) that the municipal executive transmitted to the municipal council. The council is invited to approve the draft plan. Thereafter, residents will be asked to respond to the plan for 2 months. Based on all responses, a final MVP will be developed and submitted to City Council for adoption at the end of this year.

Mobility increases

In 2040, De Ronde Venen still wants to be an attractive municipality in which to live and work. That is why 4800 homes will be built in the coming years and the business park will be expanded. It brings more traffic. The municipality also wants to respond to trends such as making transport more sustainable (electric cars) and the rise of shared mobility (the shared use of a car, scooter or bicycle). Alderman Anja Vijselaar (Mobility): ,,As a municipality, we want to remain easily accessible, but also livable, sustainable and safe for traffic. This means we want to absorb traffic growth as much as possible by making walking, cycling and using public transport more attractive. We can do this by building good, fast cycle paths where cyclists have priority, safe crossings and a pedestrian-friendly layout of important destinations.”

More bike use

In particular, encouraging cycling offers many opportunities, according to the MVP. In comparable municipalities, car use is high in De Ronde Venen and bicycles are used relatively little. If all car journeys over a distance of less than 5 kilometers were made by bicycle, the number of car journeys in the municipality would decrease by a third.

The MVP project as submitted to the city council is based, among other things, on surveys of residents. In two rounds, a total of around 2,000 residents gave their opinion on various topics and indicated what they considered important. In addition, there was a think tank including representatives from neighborhood committees. Among other things, many comments were made concerning the improvement of cycling facilities and public transport. Residents believe it is important that cyclists have more priority on important cycle routes and at traffic lights. Motorists are willing to go slower if it improves safety for cyclists.

City council discussion

City Council will likely review the proposed MVP at its June committee and council meeting. If council approves, the plan will be made available for inspection between July 15 and September 7, 2023 so residents can respond. In the fall, the Board will consider where the draft plan can be adjusted. The final plan will then be sent to the municipal council. The final plan will be developed into implementation plans for each village center next year.