Traffic jams cost Dutch companies €1.3bn last year, a rise of 3% compared with 2016, according to new figures from transport sector lobby groups TLN and Evofenedex.

The A4 motorway between Schiphol and The Hague was by far most ‘expensive’ piece of road in terms of the cost of congestion, the research showed.  Delays on that road cost industry nearly €24m, according to the calculations by research group Panteia.

The A15 and the A27, both near Gorinchem, were second and third on the blackspot list.

The researchers say the financial damage is due to goods not being delivered in time, which can lead to production lines being closed down or late deliveries to shops.

TLN and Evofenedex say the government must invest more in tackling congestion and say the introduction of some form of road pricing for all road users, not just cargo, would also ease the problem.

More should also be done to help motorists avoid trams, such as improvements to public transport and better traffic response apps.

‘The figures are shocking and if we don’t do something it will only get worse, given that we expect jams to get longer and more common,’ says TLN chairman Arthur van Dijk. ‘We have to take action, and as quickly as possible.’