Quality of service on the main road network in the Netherlands

Transport policy for the long term in the Netherlands is currently laid down in a Structure Plan. In the first part of this paper attention is paid to the Structure Plan which was recently issued. This Structure Plan covers the period until 2010. Major aims of this plan are: improving environmental amenity, managing and reducing mobility and improving accessibility. In order to meet with these aims a great number of policies and target scenarios were drafted which must be settled in the next twenty years. These policies and targets are briefly explained. The second part of the paper examines more thoroughly one of the criteria relating to improved accessibility, namely the quality of service on the main road network. Until recently the quality of service was expressed as a level of service which was based upon the Highway Capacity Manual. In behalf of the present-day Structure Plan another indicator was set up, namely the percentage of the daily traffic that will meet with congestion on the main road network. A description is given of the cost-benefit analyses which have led to percentages of 2% for the so-called links with the hinterland and 5% for the other links within the main road network.