Every road accident victim is one too many. That is why Apeldoorn City Council has drawn up a Road Safety Action Plan. In it, we set out how we will further improve road safety in Apeldoorn over the coming years. This plan has been drawn up using various sources of information. One of these is a survey in which we asked our residents for their views and experiences. Residents were given the opportunity to comment on the draft Action Plan. The plan has now been finalised.
Apeldoorn Road Safety Action Plan
View the Apeldoorn Road Safety Action Plan (PDF, 5.7 MB)
Why a Road Safety Action Plan?
The number of road accident victims in the Netherlands is rising. Although this increase has not yet been reflected in the number of road accident victims in Apeldoorn, the council does not wish to wait. Measures are now needed to prevent road accidents.
There are several reasons why road safety is high on the agenda. More and more people are living and working in Apeldoorn. This not only requires us to ensure the city remains accessible, but also to put in place effective measures to ensure that all road users can participate safely in traffic. New modes of transport, such as e-bikes, and an increase in the number of older road users also mean that we need to consider additional measures to improve road safety. Finally, the behaviour of road users is also changing. People are less likely to stick to the speed limit, and other traffic rules are being broken more frequently.
What does the Action Plan say?
Speed limits on a number of main roads in Apeldoorn will be reduced over the coming years. We are starting by reducing the speed limit at a number of locations within built-up areas from 50 to 30 km/h. This will affect the city centre ring road and a section of Sprengenweg (between Vosselmanstraat and Koning Lodewijklaan), as well as the Hoofdweg in Loenen. We will implement the speed reduction on the city centre ring road in phases and in conjunction with measures on the urban ring road. Outside built-up areas, we are reducing the speed limit to 60 km/h on Kanaal Zuid and Zwolseweg. Key prerequisites for being able to reduce the speed limit are the accessibility of emergency services and public transport.
In addition to more physical measures, such as adjusting the road layout, the local authority is focusing on influencing behaviour. The aim is to raise awareness amongst road users: how does their behaviour affect road safety?
Survey
The road safety action plan was drawn up using various sources of information. One of these is a survey. At the end of 2021, we asked our residents for their views on road safety in Apeldoorn. 1,100 residents responded to the call and completed the questionnaire. This report also forms part of the Road Safety Action Plan. In the survey, we asked residents, amongst other things, what type of road user they are (pedestrian, cyclist, etc.) and which roads they believe need improving. This revealed a number of areas for attention.