Transportation in Amsterdam

1
Transportation in Amsterdam

• Final Presentation

2
The Randstad
3
The Randstad

• Ring City
• Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht

4
Amsterdam
5
Government Planning Structure

• Local and Regional Cooperation
• Elements
• Stadsregio Amsterdam
• Regio Randstad
• Physical Planning Dept. (Amsterdam)

6
Stadsregio Amsterdam

• City Region of Amsterdam
• Partnership between 16 cities in the Amsterdam
  region
• Coordinate planning in the areas of spatial
  development, transportation, economic affairs and
  housing affairs

7
Stadsregio Amsterdam

• Regional Agenda 2006-2010
• Accessibility
• Quality of Life
• Economic Development
• Comprised of policies relating to
• Road safety and traffic
• Public transportation
• Bicycle traffic

8
Stadsregio Amsterdam

• Coordinates with private transportation companies
  and determines their jurisdictions.
• Randstad wide transportation policy coordination
• Responsible for the allocation of transportation
  funding to the participating municipalities

9
Regio Randstad

• Since 2002
• Cooperation between
• North Holland
• South Holland
• Utrecht
• Flevoland

10
Regio Randstad

• Cluster Development Plans
• A cluster can be defined as a geographically
  proximate group of interconnected companies and
  associated institutions in a particular field,
  linked by commonalities and complementarities.
  Another, more pragmatic definition of a cluster
  is an economic network of strongly interdependent
  firms, knowledge-producing agents and (demanding)
  customers, linked to each other in a value-adding
  production chain.
• http//www.regio-randstad.nl/actueel/uploads/Repor
  t_Total_v12_final_RR.pdf
• Clusters Zoning

11
Randstad Cluster Theory

• Competitive approach to economic development
• Clusters develop, nation develops economically
• Access is the issue

12
Regional Accessibility

• Access Factors
• Researchers compared Amsterdam with the Rhine-
  Ruhr area in Germany, Flemish Rhombus in Belgium,
  and Stockholm in Sweden
• Factors ranked in terms of
• External Accessibility (train)
• Internal Accessibility (bus, tram)

13
Regional Accessibility

• Results
• Internal Accessibility
• Amsterdam ranked second highest
• External Accessibility
• Amsterdam ranked last
• Problem Price level of transit
• Solution Government needs to loosen legislation
  preventing innovative improvements and take a
  more pro-active approach
• Possibly implement a Randstad wide high speed
  train system

14
Physical Planning Dept.

• Amsterdam city planning department
• Has its own museum!
• The department is so well funded that it has its
  own sophisticated museum in a converted church
  building
• Expose the public to the planning process and its
  importance
• Evidence of how important planning is to the Dutch

15
Transportation Infrastructure

• Bicycles
• 700,000
• Trams, Buses
• The Metro
• Good regional public transit, dense suburban rail
  service
• Central Station major hub of activity and
  originator of train and tram routes
• Cars
• Urban use is discouraged
• High parking fees, urban use permits
• Possible future pollution tax and vehicle
  specific parking fees
• Freeways do not enter Amsterdam
• Canals
• Water taxis, more use in the past
• Schiphol International Airport
• Ranked Best European Airport for 15 straight years

16
Strippenkaart

• Nationwide mass transit ticket with several
  strips that are validated when used
• Number of strips cancelled depends on number of
  zones traveled through
• Can be confusing
• Very similar to the system used in Stockholm,
  Sweden

17
Other Transit Tickets

• Sterabonnement
• Season Ticket of public transit
• Zomerzwerfkaart
• Summer Roaming Card
• OV-Chipkaart
• Smart Card
• Introduced in 2005, will replace the
  Strippenkaart by 2009

18
Principles of Effective Transportation

• Use broadly defined goals embracing economic,
  social and environmental outcomes
• Plan for desired outcomes, not continuation of
  past trends
• Develop solutions maximizing access, not mobility
• Give priority treatment to the cheaper, cleaner,
  more efficient mode of travel
• Provide choices through a diversity of modes to
  meet different needs and suit different contexts

19
Do they do it? Does it work?

• Use broadly defined goals embracing economic,
  social and environmental outcomes
• YES
• Ex. Stadsregio Randstad and Regio Randstad
• Region wide planning and coordination.
  Transportation issues are considered along with
  economic and social issues, their interdependency
  and effects

20
Do they do it? Does it work?

• Plan for desired outcomes, not continuation of
  past trends
• YES
• Major regional planning and cooperation
• Region is planned rather than allowed to grow on
  its own or sprawl
• Increased future car discouragement
• Shows a desire to decrease urban car traffic even
  further

21
Do they do it? Does it work?

• Develop solutions maximizing access, not mobility
• YES
• Dense urban layout
• Diverse modes, pedestrian/bicycle friendly
  streets
• Great local public transportation
• Cluster Theory/Development
• NO
• Regional Public Transportation could be better
• Ranked low in a recent study
• For cluster design to work regional
  transportation must improve

22
Do they do it? Does it work?

• Avg. Commuting time in the Netherlands

23
Do they do it? Does it work?

• Give priority treatment to the cheaper, cleaner,
  more efficient mode of travel and Provide choices
  through a diversity of modes to meet different
  needs and suit different contexts
• YES
• Car use is actively discouraged within Amsterdam
• Buses and Trams are well used
• Huge Bicycle use, infrastructure
• 700,000 bikes
• 400 km bicycle paths

24
Do they do it? Does it work?

• Give priority treatment to the cheaper, cleaner,
  more efficient mode of travel and Provide choices
  through a diversity of modes to meet different
  needs and suit different contexts
• Mode Split in Selected European Cities (ADONIS,
  1998)

25
Conclusion

• For the most part it seems that transportation
  planning in Amsterdam and the surrounding region
  lives up to the principles of effective
  transportation planning. While the transportation
  system is not perfect it seems to be one of the
  best in Europe and in the world
• It provides mode choice and cheap, clean
  transportation alternatives
• Local public transportation infrastructure is
  strong and well used
• Streets are pedestrian friendly and urban car use
  is discouraged
• Planning is done with an eye toward regional
  coordination and a consideration of the
  interdependency of transportation with economic,
  social and environmental factors