Traffic congestion in the Netherlands was lower than it has been since 2000 over the first four months of this year, transport minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told parliament on Friday.

In total, congestion is down 5.6% on the same period last year. Improvements to the A4 near Leiderdorp, the A74 by Venlo and A2 round Utrecht are the main reasons for the decline in jams, the minister said.
Nevertheless, more action needs to be taken, the minister said. ‘It is essential for our economy that accessibility is optimal. We have to keep working hard at this over the coming years,’ she said in a statement.
The number of deaths in traffic accidents on main roads also fell from 81 in 2010 to 67 last year.