Traffic on the national roads is becoming increasingly congested. In 2024, we experienced longer and more frequent traffic jams than in 2023. This is mainly due to peak hour congestion, but there is also a slight increase in the number of traffic jams due to roadworks. This is evident from the National Road Network Report 2024.
How Busy Are the Roads?
There is an increase in the duration and length of traffic jams. This is a smaller increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, we collectively traveled more kilometers on the highways than in 2023 (see table Some Figures). Together, this makes the national roads busier.
What Caused the Traffic Jams?
The main cause of traffic jams has not changed from previous years. Still, three-quarters of the traffic jams are due to peak hour congestion (Monday to Friday, between 7:00-9:00 AM and 4:00-6:00 PM). The worst peak hours are still on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, there is a slight increase in the share of traffic jams caused by roadworks. This includes both planned maintenance and emergency works.
Due to the major maintenance tasks ahead, it is expected that disruptions due to roadworks will continue to increase in the coming years.
The Top 10 Traffic Jams
The top 10 traffic jam locations has not changed much compared to 2023. The top 5 remains the same as last year. There are 3 new locations in the top 10.
Newcomers in the top 10:
- The A59 s-Hertogenbosch - junction Zonzeel at junction Hooipolder;
- The A15 Ridderkerk - Gorinchem between Sliedrecht-West and Sliedrecht-East;
- The A1 Amersfoort - Apeldoorn between junction Hoevelaken and junction Barneveld.
The traffic jams on the A27 Gorinchem - Breda at the Merwedebrug in both directions and the southern ring road of Amsterdam from junction de Nieuwe Meer to junction Amstel are no longer in the top 10.
More Information on Traffic Jams in 2024
Do you want to know more about, for example, the economic travel time loss? Or which projects are planned for 2025? On the website of the Dutch government, the National Road Network Report can be found with more information.
Some Figures
| Subject | Definition | Result 2023 | Result 2024 | Percentage Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic Performance | Amount of kilometers traveled by all inhabitants of the Netherlands in one year | 69.4 billion vehicle kilometers | 71.3 billion vehicle kilometers | 2.7% |
| Annual Traffic Jam Severity | Also known as traffic jam pressure. It is the average traffic jam length times the duration of the traffic jam. This is expressed in kilometer minutes per year. | 19.5 million kilometer minutes | 21.8 million kilometer minutes | 11.7% |
| Share of Traffic Jams Due to Roadworks | There are 8 causes of traffic jams. Construction and planned maintenance together with unplanned maintenance form the share of traffic jams due to roadworks. | 5.5% | 6.9% | 1.4% |
| Travel Time Loss | The amount of hours that road users collectively had to travel extra, for example due to traffic jams or roadworks. This is expressed in vehicle delay hours (VDU) | 96.4 million vehicle delay hours | 101.3 million vehicle delay hours | 5.1% |