Traveller intermodality means an efficient use of the transport system by employing travel modes in a complementary way. At the same time, the demand for convenient door-to-door services by travellers should be met. The Dutch national authority has an interest in realising traveller intermodality because of the duty to protect citizens and the overall objectives of sustainability and accessibility. The coming national transport plan has appointed a key role to the achievement of multimodal travel services and to the realisation of a network of nodes. Until now however, these two objectives have been the subject of separated policy fields, being directed in totally different ways. This practice does not meet the coherence between them. The lack of agreements and guidelines in the policy of transport services has inevitably consequences for the functioning of nodes. The national authority could operate more directly by making agreements with monopolists in the field on co-operation and co-ordination. The transport services should be a part of the internal co-ordination between authorities on different policy levels. For this purpose, new methods have been developed in the policy field of transport nodes. In directing the realisation of nodes however, the national authority could be less dominant by adopting a more flexible and open attitude towards the contribution of other organisations. The building of a joint perception of goals and means at the highest level including transport services and transport nodes, could be attached to the stimulation of the market to co-operate. (A)
Abstract