Abstract
The methodology used in the McKinsey-study "Striking the balance with traffic jams" to quantify the volume and consequences of congestion in the "Randstad" in 1985 and 2000 is presented. First the main conclusions and recommendations of the study are reviewed. Then, the results of a telephone survey to estimate the so-called "latent demand" at bottlenecks are presented. Next follows a section on the role of the "National Model". Finally the "Congestion Model" developed during the study is presented.