City air should be cleaner, quicker

The air quality in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht is not improving quickly enough, the national audit offices in the four big cities said on Tuesday.

If extra measures are not introduced, the cities will have to take drastic steps such as closing roads by 2015.
The Netherlands has until 2015 to reach European standards on nitrogen oxide and the previous government made billions of euros available. That money has been spent on soot filters, speed limits, environmental zones and electric transport.
Some of the money went to subsidising the purchase of new vans and trucks fitted with soot filters. Junior environment minister Joop Atsma said on Tuesday the subsidy would stop on Saturday because the €11.5m for this year has been spent.
The subsidy was introduced in 2006 since when sales of vans and trucks with a soot filter has risen by 84%.