ICP reflects on solutions for the A4 Passage and gateways to The Hague region

On October 14th, employees from five ICP-members gathered at Eurojust for an interactive meeting about the specific wishes and needs of international organisations & companies for the accessibility and quality of transport of The Hague Region. The project manager of the ‘MIRT-study’ (Meerjarenprogramma Infrastructuur, Ruimte en Transport) informed the 11 representatives about the long term strategy to keep The Hague Region accessible and liveable. In the MIRT project, the local, regional and national government are working out a realistic vision on infrastructure solutions for the greater The Hague region for 2020-2040. Solutions are necessary te deal with expected problems (multiple areas of congestions in The Hague Region).

This fun video animation gives a brief summary of the MIRT-project and the proposed solutions.

A4 Passage, gateways and entryways

In this stage of the project, the focus lies on finding the best solution for the A4 Passage and the gateways and entryways to the Hague Region. A heavy volume of traffic from the direction of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht travels on the A4 Passage. As they cross the traffic in and out of The Hague Region on same stretch of motorway (9 kilometers), it soon becomes clogged. The best alternatives are being extensively compared with each other. The contributions of stakeholders, both local and international, are being taken into consideration.

Attendants

The attendants from Eurojust, ICC, the International School of The Hague (ISHT) and NATO-C3 were a combination of commuters and chauffeurs who drive from The Hague to Brussels, Schiphol and many other (inter)national locations.

Results

The attendants gave valuable input for the responsible authorities that will decide on the best solution for the region. These results of the meeting will be shared with these authorities and integrated in the project reports:

• The two alternatives that are under investigation both seem very likely to reduce congestions. The attendants not had a specific preference for one of the alternatives. An alternative route for the A12 – Utrechtsebaan to reach the International Zone is however required.
• The availability of sufficient public transport is crucial for the accessibility of Haaglanden. Companies are willing to stimulate the use of public transport (Shell is an example).
• For the next stage of this MIRT process and the further development of the infrastructure measures, the representatives call attention to parking facilities and transfers to public transport.
• Other ‘quick wins’ that were mentioned were the optimization of traffic lights near exits on the entryways and the implementation of financial policies (congestion management).
• In relation to the ambition ‘International City of The Hague’, the attendants ask not only to think international but also to act international. This can start by providing travel information in English, like road signing, timetables and traffic information systems.
• One of the foreign attendants remarked that the dutch road system is brilliant compared to other countries. The long term planning of this MIRT project is a confirmation of this remark.