This study assesses transport infrastructure in the Netherlands and Germany. There are different methods of analysing the quality and economic effects of infrastructure. The most widely used methods are: inquiry analysis, statistical analysis, and determining the effect of the available infrastructure on costs. One way of measuring this effect is by applying the accessibility method. This method is theoretically the most satisfying and it is one that provides useful extra information. The study presents accessibility indices for 70 regions in Europe and for different infrastructure types. In the article it is concluded, though, that often the accessibility method is difficult to operationalize, and that it is therefore not always usable. All three methods are therefore used and discussed here. Statistical and accessibility analyses show that on the whole the road infrastructure quality in the Netherlands and Germany is the same. Road infrastructure users make a completely different assessment of the situation, they see the German roads as being more satisfactory. These conflicting results possibly arise from the situation of rapidly increasing congestion in the Netherlands. Where other infrastructure is concerned the different methods produce comparable results: Germany's rail infrastructure system is better, but in the Netherlands the inland waterways are better. (A)
Abstract