. Drive on the right-hand side, overtake other vehicles on the left. 18 is the legal minimum age to drive a car (or motorbike over 125cc). 16 is the legal minimum age to drive a moped or scooter. Motorcycle and trike drivers and passengers must wear crash helmets. It is compulsory to carry a driving licence, car registration papers and insurance documents in the car (Dutch, EU and international driving licences are accepted).
Mobile phones may only be used with a hands-free system while driving.
Netherlands Traffic Signs. The Dutch Ministry of Transport has put together this in-depth 84 page PDF in English for Road traffic signs and regulations in the Netherlands to help you understand all of the unique Netherlands Traffic Signs and regulations while on NL roads. If you are going to be spending any time in the country you should familiarize.
Detailed road map of the Netherlands (2012)With 139,000 km of public roads, the has one of the most dense road networks in the world – much denser than and, but still not as dense as. Dutch roads include at least 3,530 km of and, and with a motorway density of 64 kilometres per 1,000 km², the country also has one of the densest in the world.The Netherlands' main highway net ( hoofdwegennet), comparable to Britains net of, consists of most of its 5,200 km of national roads, supplemented with the most prominent provincial roads. Although only about 2,500 km of roads are fully constructed to standards, much of the remainder are also for fast motor vehicles only.Except for motorways and expressways, most roads support cyclists. Some 35,000 km (a quarter of all Dutch roads) feature, physically segregated from motor traffic. A further 4,700 km of roads have clearly marked bike lanes, and on other roads, traffic is calmed such that cyclists and motorists can safely mix.
Busy junctions sometimes give priority to cyclists, and in street roads like and, bicycles always have priority over cars.Since 1997, a national traffic safety program called Duurzaam Veilig (Sustainable Safety) has had a major impact on the road network. Has been applied on a massive scale.
In 2009, more than 33,000 km of extra-urban roads had a speed limit of no more than 60 km/h, and over 41,000 km of local roads were limited to 30 km/h, adding up to more than half of the entire road network. A popular calming measure is to replace intersections by, of which there were almost 5,000 in 2015, both in and out of town.Mobility on Dutch roads has grown continuously since the 1950s and now exceeds 200 billion km travelled per year, three quarters of which are done by car, meaning that while Dutch roads are numerous, they are also used with one of the highest intensities of any road network. Dutch roads are typically built for cyclists as well (cycle track in red).In 1997, the collective Dutch road management authorities reached agreement on a major program, called Duurzaam Veilig ('Sustainable Safety'). One of its principles is a clear-cut categorisation of roads, into a small number of visually distinct and clearly recognisable designs, that must be applied consistently throughout the country. Three main categories were established:.
Stroomwegen (literally 'Flow roads' or 'Through roads'), aimed at a consistent flow of large amounts of motorised traffic, over long(er) distances, and with generally high speeds. In the design of these roads, traffic flow is consistently paramount, meaning: physical separation of traffic in opposite directions (ideally ), and without. Motorways and expressways fall into this category. General maximum speeds are 130 km/h for motorways, and 100 km/h for regional flow roads. In the long term, the new road type 'regional flow road' will reshape the existing collection of non-motorway expressways ( Autowegen) in the Netherlands. Gebiedsontsluitingswegen ('Distributor roads') prioritise traffic flow on road sections but traffic exchange at intersections. Fast and slow road users are separated, for instance are segregated from the main.
Are, aimed at the most effective traffic exchange in terms of changing direction, road type or speed. Are in the form of where possible, or otherwise have. For motor traffic, the speed limits are 80 km/h in the country and 50 or 70 km/h in the built-up area. Fall in this category. Erftoegangswegen ('Access roads') connect individual properties to the rest of the road system. Traffic exchange takes place not only at intersections but also in between.
Road users are pulling in and out of lots, and traffic modes mix. The street design must facilitate ingress and egress from vehicles as well as loading and unloading. A function as well as a traffic function is intended. Speeds are therefore kept low: 60 km/h on rural or regional access roads, and 30 km/h on access roads in the built-up area, except for ( woonerven), where only 15 km/h is allowed. Out of town, there should ideally be separate cycle tracks or at least clearly painted bike lanes. In town, there can be cycle lanes, but on smaller 30 km/h roads, cyclists can typically mix with cars without problems.
Among others, and (bike streets) are considered to be access roads.Roads by type Outside of built-up areas. TheAutosnelweg, or simply snelweg, is the Dutch designation for. They are for fast motor vehicles only and are consistently built with, and with. Since September 2012, the nationwide maximum speed has been raised to 130 km/h, but on many stretches, speed is still limited to 120 km/h or 100 km/h. Dutch motorways may only be used by motor vehicles both capable and legally allowed to go at least 60 km/h.To improve traffic flow, a common feature of is peak, rush hour or plus lanes, that allow motorists to use the hard shoulder in case of congestion.
Less common but increasingly so, multiple carriageways are applied to separate local and regional traffic from through traffic. By splitting traffic in the same direction into, the number of weaving motions across lanes is reduced, and the per lane of the road is optimised. Autosnelwegen are consistently and signposted with an A and up to three digits, like. Motorways are by definition stroomwegen ('flow roads') and most of them are national roads: only a few shorter stretches are under provincial control.
All (in red) and N-roads (green). Some N-roads are Autowegen (expressways).Autoweg is the legal designation for that do not (fully) meet motorway standards. Although they are by definition for faster motor vehicles only, they were built to significantly varying standards.
Designs range from, with full and, and center dividers, to with just one lane per direction, no, and only intermittent shoulder patches called Vluchthavens. Many intersections are with, or they are. There can also be in these roads. In either of the latter cases, the speed limit is frequently reduced to 70 km/h before one reaches the junction or the bridge. The standard speed limit is 100 km/h, unless marked otherwise.
Only motor vehicles both capable and legally allowed to go at least 50 km/h are allowed on an Autoweg.Although Autowegen do not have to conform completely to the new Dutch design standard for regional flow roads ( stroomwegen), many of these roads require at least some upgrades. Otherwise, they are downgraded to the safety category of distributor roads and so lose their expressway status.Autowegen are always numbered and mostly signposted with an N (for Non motorway highway) and up to three digits, like. Almost all of these expressways are national or provincial roads.Other Non motorway highways that are not expressways either are simpler in design, with level intersections and mostly single carriageways. Nevertheless, many of them feature adjacent. Regional access road with colored advisory bike lanes — no center line marking.As far as these roads have (inter)regional significance, they are also numbered and to an extent signposted with an N and typically three digits. In that case, the roads are referred to as N-roads.
These roads are mostly categorised as distributor roads, with a speed limit of 80 km/h. In principle, farm traffic and slow road users are not allowed. For them, there should be parallel roads like or cycle tracks. In partially built-up rural areas, the speed limit may drop to 60 km/h, as indicated by signage. Provincial road is an example of an N-road that is only partially an Autoweg.Primary N-roads are numbered up to N400, and the numbers have to be on road signs. Although these roads can fall under any of the road management authorities, most are provincial roads.
N-roads of secondary importance are numbered 401 through 999, but the numbers are not frequently signposted. They serve a more local function.
Over time, they are transferred from provinces to municipalities, and the numbers are dropped.From 1998 to 2007, more than 33,000 km of roads have been converted to regional access roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h, so indicated by signage, and frequently in zones. Regional access roads are visually distinct from other roads having no. Slower vehicles and non-motorised traffic are allowed. Busier roads have adjacent cycle tracks, but quieter ones have advisory bike lanes. Again, they can fall under any of the road management authorities.On extra-urban roundabouts, motor vehicles virtually always have priority over cycle tracks in the Netherlands. Within built-up areas Inside of built-up areas, all roads are municipal.
They are categorised only as either distributor roads or local access roads. And fall into the first category. Their maximum speed is 50 km/h except for arterials with a dual carriageway, which may be 70 km/h. Have to be segregated.Particular types of arterials are stadsroutes and city ring roads. A traffic-calmed street with wide advisory cycle lanes (red) that motorists may use to pass oncoming cars. Drivers must use them safely though and not crowd out the cyclists.Stadsroutes (city routes) form a network of arterials that connect parts of a city to a or running outside the city. City routes are signposted prefixed by an s and numbered from 100 or 101.
When there is an s 100 present, it is an inner city ring road around the city centre. Stadsroutes can so far be found in seven Dutch cities:,. Nijmegen has only its s 100 centre ring operational, but other routes are in progress. Heerlen also has only its s 100 ring right now, but it is shared with the nearby cities of. Contrary the way motorways and N-roads are numbered, city routes are not a national system.
The same numbers can be used in every partaking city and are therefore not unique. Many other Dutch cities have constructed inner city ring arterials without numbering them (yet).From 1998 through 2007, more than 41,000 km of city streets have been converted to local access roads with a speed limit of 30 km/h, for the purpose of traffic calming. Local access streets include, and although the legal status of the latter two is somewhat ambiguous.
A fietsstraat (cyclestreet) where bicycles are the main form of transport and cars are considered 'guests'.Woonerf (literally 'living yard') or legally just Erf, is the Dutch term for a specific implementation of, abundantly applied throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Although not officially a part of the Sustainable Safety road categorisation policy, the woonerf is still a legally defined Dutch road type. The defining characteristic is that the living function of the street (walking, talking, playing) has official priority over its traffic function.
Legally, pedestrians and children have priority over all other road users. They may use the full width of the street to walk and play. Is more or less continuous. Under article 45 of the Dutch traffic code, motorised traffic in a woonerf is restricted to 'walking pace', which the Dutch has ruled to be 15 km/h. Parking is also restricted.Although woonerven have come under pressure from the drive to implement zones of 30 km/h local access streets, they are still prolific. In some places, new ones are still created, such as for space restrictions.
In 2011, 20% of all Dutch homes were still located in woonerf areas, and around 2 million people were living in woonerven.Fietsstraat (literally ) is not (yet) an official Dutch road type or category. The implementation comes down to paving the full width of the road (except for the sidewalk) as a cycle track, including the associated color. Signs are put up by the municipal authorities, informing motorists that they are guests and must yield to cyclists.Correspondingly, the road portion of the street (between kerbs) is then legally considered to be a bicycle track with benefits instead of a road in the conventional sense. Motorway / nearThe busiest Dutch motorway is the between and, with a traffic volume of 140,000 motor vehicles per day.
The province of in the centre of the country however, has the busiest motorways on average (almost 100,000 vehicles a day), with major motorways, and running through it. The busiest four-lane motorway in the Netherlands is the in the, in, with 110.000 vehicles per day.
The widest Dutch motorway is the A15/A16, just south of Rotterdam, with 16 lanes, in a 4+4+4+4 setup.As to the method: the number of passing motorised vehicles is counted every minute of the day at some 20,000 measuring stations on the Dutch motorway network. Carpool / H.O.V. And reversible lanes. Dual lane reversible carriageway on the A1 motorway, shown to the left of the center barrier.On 27 October 1993, the first ', (HOV-) or 'Carpool' lane in Europe, was opened in the Netherlands, on the, which was simultaneously arranged as a. It originally consisted of only one lane, available for either direction, for vehicles carrying at least three occupants.On the very day of its official opening, former Dutch drove his car over the lane by himself, to provoke a trial case, to test the legality of such a road lane. After initial conviction in a civil court, the appeals court ruling determined, that the term 'carpooling' at the time had no official meaning in Dutch law, nor the Dutch traffic code, and consequently, that the newly installed 'carpooling' signage on this expressway lane entirely lacked all legal basis. Much to the disappointment of Westerterp, the court did not address the legal, which he presented as a fundamental issue in the case, to road users.
In 1994, the reversible lane was opened to all traffic, regardless of occupancy.The most significant case of reversible lanes in Holland is currently formed by one roadway tube of the. Opened in 2013, the tunnel was built right next to the first of 1966, to greatly improve its capacity and alleviate severe daily congestion at the tunnel.
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