Sustainable Safety from 1992 onward
When the foundations for Sustainable Safety were laid in 1992, the necessary preparations were made for implementation of the vision. In 1995, this resulted in the start of four Sustainable Safety demonstration projects. The experience gained here, contributed to the covenant Start-up programme Sustainable Safety in 1997. This covenant included agreements about a package of road safety measures and the intention of making policy agreements for a second phase of Sustainable Safety.
In addition to the measures in the Start-up programme, other measures that fitted well within Sustainable Safety were taken during the 1990-2005 period (and sometimes even earlier). An example is the construction of roundabouts.
Sustainable Safety demonstration projects
For the initial period of Sustainable Safety, in the mid 1990s, four areas in the
The areas were selected based on their location in the country, the nature of the proposed measures, the traffic problems in the area, and the organizational and financial aspects and the aspects as regards contents of the submitted plans.
The development of knowledge and its dispersion were particularly important for the demonstrative nature of the projects. The process and the effects of these demonstration projects were monitored by consultancy companies.
Start-up programme Sustainable Safety
In 1997 the Start-up programme Sustainable Safety covenant was signed. It involved agreements between the Association of Netherlands Municipalities, the Association of the Provinces of the
Contents of the Start-up programme
The measures from the Start-up programme that could be implemented relatively quickly were mainly measures to adapt the infrastructure and several behavioural measures:
- make a distinction between major roads and low-traffic areas,
- a plan of action for an urban 30 km/h speed limit,
- extension of urban 30 km/h zones,
- extension of rural
- priority on major roads,
- uniform priority regulation on roundabouts,
- mopeds on the carriageway,
- priority for (light) mopeds and cyclists coming from the right.
By the end of the Start-up programme, each road authority was supposed to have categorized its road network according to the CROW requirements. This was partially subsidized by the government.
The idea was a considerable increase of the number of 30 km/h zones. To encourage this, the road authorities were allowed to use what was known as a 'sober layout'.
The Start-up programme also included measures for finance, enforcement, education, and communication. For these measures no subsidy was available.
Second phase of Sustainable Safety
Initially, the second phase was included in the National Traffic and Transport Plan in the form of a number of specific agreements between managerial parties: the Ministry of Transport, the Association of the Provinces of the