The implementation of the Amsterdam traffic and transport policy is recently being attended with research into the Amsterdam centre accessibility. The most significant results of the year 1996 are presented in this paper, including a retrospective study into the past few years. The objective accessibility, established by visual traffic counts and interviews, has decreased for the unnecessary car traffic. This is mainly caused by increasing congestion on the motorways and a more restricted parking policy. For the necessary car traffic the accessibility seems to be improved. For public transport and cycling the Amsterdam centre accessibility is excellent. For cyclists road safety has improved. The parking accommodation for bicycles however is not satisfactory. The interlocal public transport has improved, but the local public transport got worse. Research into the appreciation of the accessibility shows that the centre has a bad image for car users due to the parking policy. Travellers by public transport are very positive, although increase of travel expenses, average travel time and especially the rush in train and bus during peak hours are threatening elements. The increase of the use of bicycles is often attended with high appreciation. (A)
Abstract