Digital traffic management benefits everyone
Closer cooperation in the data chain benefits all parties involved:
- Road users arrive at their destination safely, sustainably and with as little delay as possible, and are guided via socially desirable routes. They also provide feedback on in-car services so that service providers can further improve them.
- Service providers can enrich their own data with data from road authorities, improve the quality of their services and offer socially responsible route advice, thereby increasing user satisfaction.
- Road authorities can provide road users with tailored information and route advice via socially desirable roads. In addition, they can reach road users in locations where there are currently no physical means (such as an information panel), because the notifications appear in-car.
- Residents: as route advice is increasingly tailored to the current traffic situation, motorists are more often guided via the correct, suitable (main) roads. This helps to prevent rat-running through residential areas, which reduces traffic pressure, noise pollution and creates a safer living environment for residents.
Let's give some concrete examples:
Representative Hans
Receives up-to-date route advice
Hans leaves Zoetermeer in the morning for his first appointment in Bergen op Zoom. Shortly after departure, his navigation system displays a message that there is a traffic jam on the A16 motorway and suggests an alternative route. During the journey, he sees a pop-up notification that the right lane on the Haringvliet Bridge is closed and that the speed limit is temporarily 70 km/h. As soon as he has crossed the bridge, the speed restriction disappears. This allows Hans to continue his journey safely with minimal delay and arrive relaxed at his first customer's premises.
Road traffic controller Sarah
Forwarding traffic disruptions to service providers more quickly and efficiently
Sarah starts her shift at the traffic control centre and checks the traffic situation in the Netherlands. She sees that there were accidents on the A27 earlier that morning. The disruptions have been confirmed and forwarded to service providers. Sarah looks at the forecast for the next half hour and sees that delays on the A27, A28 and N230 could quickly increase, so she automatically accepts the suggested diversion routes. When there is an accident on the N204, she confirms the closure, so that service providers are immediately up to date. The network system recommends setting up diversion routes to improve traffic flow and limit shortcuts. Sarah also sees that the roadworks on the A27 are starting according to plan and that traffic is being diverted safely. Thanks to the digital systems, Sarah can manage, monitor and intervene where necessary in a clear and organised manner, while traffic continues to flow smoothly and safely.
Serviceprovider Peter
Information from road authorities enriches route advice to road users
Peter works for a navigation service that provides motorists with up-to-date travel information. This includes road closures, tunnel closures and accidents on the route. In addition to gathering all kinds of up-to-date traffic information from motorists on the Dutch road network, he regularly receives reports from the National Road Traffic Data Portal about road works and delays. This morning, for example, work started on the A27 motorway and the traffic control centre also reported an accident on the N204. Based on these reports, Peter can immediately process the data in the route advice, enabling motorists to be diverted via an alternative route in good time.
Councillor Margriet
Navigation systems take into account desired use of the road network to reduce rat-running
Councillor Margriet from Veldhorst is tackling rat-running in her municipality. Thanks to new European rules and the municipality's digital traffic circulation plan, navigation systems must now take municipal traffic agreements into account. This means that routes through residential areas will no longer be offered as the fastest option in apps such as Google Maps or Waze. Only those who really need to be in the neighbourhood will be able to navigate there. This will keep the streets safe, liveable and easily accessible, while through traffic will remain on the main roads. Residents are already noticing less congestion and nuisance. Margriet sees this as an important step towards clean air, safety and a better balance between accessibility and liveability, and hopes that more municipalities will follow suit.