The transportation system is reaching the limits of its existing capacity due to the increasing demand for transportation caused by changes in activities, increasing prosperity and economic growth. On December 9th, 1868 the first traffic light, manually operated by a policeman, was installed near the Houses of Parliament in London. Since 25 years traffic management systems on motorways are deployed. In a wider context, traffic management systems are part of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). The goal is to improve the transportation system by making it more effective, more efficient and safer. In late December 2005, a large majority of the Lower House of parliament agreed to the Mobility Paper, which describes how the Ministry of Transport and Water Management will seek to get the population of the Netherlands moving, and keep it moving, between 2010 and 2020. This predictability is the largest advantage of the transport and water management policy until 2020 outlined in the Mobility Paper. The paper indicates the minister’s chosen course and implementation schedule, which the implementation paper puts into practice. The paper is intended to increase reliability on roads, rail and water. The goal is for 95 per cent of travellers to arrive at their destination on time. In 2020, traffic jams will be 40 per cent shorter, despite a 20 per cent increase in passenger transport and an increase of 40 to 80 per cent in goods transport. The Mobility Paper is an extension of the Spatial Policy document for traffic and transport and has been drawn up in conjunction with the decentralised governments. Furthermore, advice from societal parties has been included in two core points of the paper: public transport and price policy. (Author/publisher)
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