Speed cameras in the Netherlands might be there to encourage motorists to keep to the limit, but they actually cause traffic jams.
The Dutch transport ministry and police admit drivers often slam on the brakes when they see speed cameras, and the knock-on effect leads to more traffic. So from this week the new protocol is that when there is a danger of a queue, police will put away the speed cameras.
[People] brake, and that frequently has a domino effect on the drivers who are behind them,” Alfred van Beilen, an operations expert at the Dutch police, told NOS news. “That can in the end lead to traffic jams.”
He admitted that in the past “poor communication” meant speed cameras were left in place too long and said that the new protocol would help the roads run better in the Netherlands’ flat countryside.
The Dutch are tough on motorists who break the speed limit, with some of the highest traffic fines in Europe.
Read more: Speed cameras that cause traffic jams to be scrapped in the Netherlands | Motoring News | Lifestyle | The Independent
The Dutch transport ministry and police admit drivers often slam on the brakes when they see speed cameras, and the knock-on effect leads to more traffic. So from this week the new protocol is that when there is a danger of a queue, police will put away the speed cameras.
[People] brake, and that frequently has a domino effect on the drivers who are behind them,” Alfred van Beilen, an operations expert at the Dutch police, told NOS news. “That can in the end lead to traffic jams.”
He admitted that in the past “poor communication” meant speed cameras were left in place too long and said that the new protocol would help the roads run better in the Netherlands’ flat countryside.
The Dutch are tough on motorists who break the speed limit, with some of the highest traffic fines in Europe.
Read more: Speed cameras that cause traffic jams to be scrapped in the Netherlands | Motoring News | Lifestyle | The Independent
