In 1975, the Dutch government presented a paper outlining a traffic and transport policy for the next five years. It was given the title: "Towards managed traffic". In this paper the government notes that the great growth in car ownership and usage has been one factor in worsening the human environment, and that this applies particularly to the towns. The urban road system is not adapted to present-day traffic flows; parking is an increasingly pressing problem; busy road have become barriers; cities are becoming more and more unsafe for non-motorists; destinations have become less accessible. Noise, air pollution and vibration are worsening the climate in which we sojourn and live; picturesque views in towns are being spoiled. In order to counteract this worsening of the urban environment, the Dutch government has set itself a number of tasks. The following two may be mentioned as part of its traffic and transport policy: - to promote road safety; - to satisfy certain standards in order to create a high-quality environment in which to live. In giving consideration to these, of course, a certain demand for transport will have to be taken into account. One can say that a traffic and transport policy nowadays is really nothing else but weighing the advantages of meeting the demand for transport against the disadvantages this causes elsewhere. One of these disadvantages is road hazards. An improvement in the human environment will also have to promote road safety. Accident statistics show that the urban safety problem is primarily a slow-traffic problem: nearly three out of every four traffic fatalities inside built-up areas are moped riders, cyclists or pedestrians. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the government has made it a major policy objective that urban road safety, especially for slow traffic, will have to be vigorously promoted.
Abstract