Netherlands - National Report Strategic Direction Session ST2: Roads and quality of life.

Quality of life in The Netherlands: even cleaner and quieter Aspirations: The Netherlands seeks to be a European best achiever when it comes to the natural environment and quality of life. In the traffic and transport context this means reducing harmful emissions and noise pollution while slowing down fragmentation of the countryside. In brief, traffic and transportation of the future will be even cleaner and quieter. Cleaner Technological advances and European agreements are making vehicles progressively cleaner. This enables increased mobility with diminishing corrosive emissions. At the same time, a leap forward is needed in those areas where the technology has been slower to evolve - particularly for bus engines, ships and trains. In urban areas local air quality can be improved by transport management, pro-bicycle policy, decreasing short car journeys, speed reduction and traffic circulation measures. Like air pollution the changing climate also result from exhaust gases. CO2 emissions are a matter of worldwide concern. Measures comprised in the Climate Policy Implementation Memorandum have been or are being implemented. However, even greater reduction in CO2 emissions will still be required in the period following 2010. Technological innovations like the "fuel cell" appear promising but will take time. The use of economical engines will be encouraged. Quieter A pro-active approach to noise pollution is still a necessity given the growth of traffic in densely populated areas. While quieter cars, trains and plains are top priority, this will not be enough. In many locations in the Netherlands road authorities will be obliged to take ant-noise pollution measures. These will include quieter road-surfaces and noise barriers along roads and railroad-lines. Given that noise barriers are generally unattractive a new innovation programme will seek cost-effective alternatives by testing international knowledge resources in the Dutch context. Long-term potential here includes anti-noise as well as quieter vehicles and even quieter road-surfaces. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135448.