With the signing, a solid foundation has been laid for the next fifteen years for the joint implementation of the Frisian Integral Traffic Safety Vision 2026-2040. By signing, municipalities receive provincial subsidies, allowing them to invest at least €2 per inhabitant in traffic education over the next five years.
Joint Responsibility
Province of Fryslân has long been committed to a traffic-safe province. Since the 1970s, great strides have been made. However, the declining trend has stagnated over the last ten years, and there have been years when the number of traffic fatalities increased again. The puzzle piece placement as part of signing the Manifest is a powerful statement of cooperation and responsibility to reverse the upward trend into a downward one. Each puzzle piece symbolizes an indispensable contribution. Absence is not an option.
Deputy Matthijs de Vries: “We aim to achieve three milestones: by 2030 we will break the stagnation in the declining trend of traffic deaths and serious injuries; by 2035 we expect a clear decrease in serious injuries; by 2040 there will be zero traffic deaths. We do this together with municipalities, police, Public Prosecution Service, social partners, education, employers, and the community, because traffic safety belongs to all of us.”
Provincial Subsidy
Municipalities receive additional budget through a subsidy to implement local traffic education projects. If municipalities allocate at least €1 per inhabitant for this over the next five years, the province will also add €1 per inhabitant.
Deputy Matthijs de Vries: “I am very pleased that some municipalities want to go further than €1.” Alderman Lisa Edema of Municipality Ooststellingwerf: “We are already investing heavily in safe roads, bike paths, and intersections. But traffic safety is not only about infrastructure: behavior is also decisive. That is why we put extra effort into promoting safe traffic behavior, for residents from young to old. To make this possible, we allocate €2 per inhabitant.”
