The accident rate figures for the Netherlands show that accomplishing the task of traffic safety necessitates a change of course. The aim is to create a sustainably safe road infrastructure. Therefore, it is crucial to realize that accidents happen as a result from situations in which two factors meet: the one is speed and the second is convergence of traffic. This will lead to the following concept: an environment that consistently and sharply reduces speeds at all clearly recognizable points of convergence, such as crossings and junctions. This can be done by means of modern small roundabouts, speed bumps and go-slow bends. This concept will produce a reduction of the number of points of convergence by discontinuing intersections. Subsequently, the hierarchical function of roads in traffic structures will be strongly determined by the distances between intersections. The Dutch Province of South Holland has chosen an approach to develop alternatives for a number of trial projects in order to test the practical applicability of this concept.
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