Sustainable safety is a well known policy in The Netherlands, developed about 10 to 12 years ago. As a new town, Zoetermeer has a strategic position in the surroundings of The Hague and Rotterdam. In 1968 the city council accepted a plan which aimed at building a compact, independent city with Zoetermeer numbering about 135,000 inhabitants within 10 years. Road safety has always played a very important part in the city planning of Zoetermeer. In the past 10 years, the level of accidents and casualties has been low and is still decreasing. In a sustainably safe road network, the design, function and use of roads are coordinated and road infrastructure is adapted to human limitations. A sustainably safe road infrastructure is best described as one that is clearly perceived by road users. Road users can easily understand, based on what they see on the road, what is expected of them with regard to their behaviour as road users. They know what the maximum speed is, how the right of way is regulated, and are prepared for situations they may encounter. For the road infrastructure, this means: (1) making sure that various types of road users are using the road category intended especially for them, (2) limiting the number of motor vehicles to a certain maximum so that traffic volume is controlled, (3) allowing sufficient space for all road users, (4) separating types of vehicles in cases where combinations lead to problems, and (5) maintaining low speeds at locations exhibiting the possibility of conflicts between the needs of different types of road users. For the covering abstract see ITRD E117761.
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