Opening of the TNT congress on ITS Urban Transport

Toespraak | 07-09-2010

Kern in drie punten:

Smarter, cleaner, safer.

• Transport is the backbone of our society in many ways. But we pay a high price in the form of environmental pollution and traffic casualties. We have to make continuous efforts to increase capacity and to make transport more sustainable.
• This is one of the major challenges of our time: to adapt our traffic system to guarantee traffic flows smoothly, with as few negative consequences as possible.
• Together with innovative Dutch companies like TNT, host of this congress, we believe that the future of the transport sector can only be found in clean and responsible transport.

Ladies and gentlemen,

After my visit last year, it is a great pleasure to be back in this wonderful city, a crucial centre of the world in many ways.
Shanghai is a global city without parallel. A metropolis of millions, the trading centre of China. A city with a long history in the fields of transport and logistics.

At the moment, due to the marvellous World Expo, the eyes of the world are on Shanghai even more than ever before.
I look with admiration at the way this city succeeds in accommodating more than half a million visitors a day, managing the quick and safe transport of large flows of people and goods from A to B. You are doing a wonderful job!

Life in modern cities like Shanghai goes on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the Netherlands, the same applies to cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Last year, China overtook the US as the world’s largest car market. The traffic never seems to stop, being part of our bustling economies.

The Netherlands is making its way in the world with a mere 16 million inhabitants. We are 16th on the world economy rankings, the fifth largest exporter and the sixth largest foreign investor. I am accompanied by representatives from experienced Dutch traffic and technology-related companies. We hope to show you today that the Netherlands also has a lot to offer.

Transport is the backbone of our society in many ways. It is also something, however, we pay a high price for in the form of environmental pollution and traffic casualties. We have to make continuous efforts to increase capacity and to make transport more sustainable. This is one of the major challenges of our time. We need to adapt our traffic system to guarantee traffic flows smoothly, with as few negative consequences as possible. Smarter, cleaner and safer.

In recent years certainly a lot has been achieved. For example, European air has become much cleaner. In the Netherlands, over the past twenty years emissions of fine particles have been reduced by half. Emissions of sulphur oxides have actually been cut by over three-quarters. And, despite a strong increase in road traffic, we have been able to keep noise nuisance at the same level. I regard these good results as an incentive to take further steps along this path.  

I am both happy and proud that TNT is hosting this conference, which offers us the chance to exchange new ideas and best practices, and explore ways to support each other in the future.
TNT and the Ministry have had a fruitful relationship for years. Together we have worked on subjects like the Postal Act. But more and more, we are also combining our strengths in new areas, for instance in the field of sustainable transport. TNT in the Netherlands has, for example, committed itself to a reduction of 20 percent in CO2 emissions in its transport by 2012.
Together with innovative Dutch companies like TNT, my Ministry believes that the future of the sector can only be found in clean and responsible transport.

The Dutch Ministry of Transport has formulated an ambitious policy framework that focuses strongly on safe and sustainable transport.
I would like to give you a foretaste of what we have to offer. I will use examples of new developments, which combine technological innovation with smart organisation.

I would like to tell you briefly about:

• our testing grounds for sustainable mobility;
• smart in-vehicle systems to prevent traffic accidents;
• and improving traffic information.

Testing grounds for sustainable mobility

I am convinced the future lies in corporate social responsibility. There are many opportunities available in that area for the business community. My country would like to play a coordinating role in this and I am therefore putting the Netherlands forward as an international testing ground for sustainable mobility. The goal is to accelerate the market introduction of innovations in the fields of sustainable fuels, logistics and innovative buses and trucks. For instance, last year we started our testing ground for electric and hybrid cars, a market that, as you are aware, is recording enormous growth here in China as well. We are encouraging the business community to invest in purchasing electric cars.  TNT, our host today, is one of the companies that is taking part enthusiastically.

Smart in-vehicle systems to prevent road accidents

My next example involves intelligent solutions we can use to further improve road safety. The Netherlands is already one of the safest countries in the world with 720 road deaths over the past year against a population of over 16 million. Nonetheless, we want to reduce this number even further, because every road casualty is one too many.

To this end, we carried out a practical trial with 2500 lorries, the largest trial to date in Europe. We tested a variety of systems in practice including a black box or technology that assists the driver in keeping a proper distance and remaining on course. The 120 transport companies that participated indicated that they would continue using a number of the accident-prevention systems after the completion of the trial.

We are currently doing practical research into how smart systems can help to identify vulnerable road users earlier and what the best subsequent action would be: a signal to the driver, a signal to the outside or an emergency stop. The aim of the study is mainly to gather knowledge about the behaviour of road users and about the effect of these systems on drivers and their surroundings.

Improving traffic information

The third initiative I would like to mention is the steps we are taking to improve traffic information. The Netherlands has traditionally performed well in the field of navigation. Centuries ago, this enabled us to sail the oceans of the world; today, the Dutch company TomTom is a major player on the navigation market.  

The government is encouraging the development of the navigation market with conviction. The more information we can provide to motorists about traffic situations, the better we can manage road congestion. We ensure that private parties can make optimum use of data from road authorities. We have a common goal: to ensure that travellers return home quickly and safely.

And this not only applies to cars, but also to public transport. Our aim is to be able to provide travellers with multimodal advice at any given moment of the day, so that they can travel optimally from A to B with as few problems and in as much comfort as possible.  

Ladies and gentlemen,

We cannot and we do not want to counteract mobility and traffic. But we can fight some of the negative consequences. I hope I have given you an interesting impression of the way the Netherlands is working on responsible transport.
Together with you, we are looking forward to finding opportunities and exchanging ideas for both China and the Netherlands.
Together we will achieve a greater benefit for society: safer, smarter and more sustainable urban traffic.
I am certain that today the seeds of all kinds of new initiatives will be sown.
I am confident that this conference will be interesting and constructive for you all.