The opening of the Amsterdam Ring Road A case study on short-term effects of removing a bottleneck 1. Introduction 2. Evidence from the Amsterdam Ring Road study 2.1. Background 2.2. Before-and-after study 2.3. Background developments, seasonal effects and daily variations 2.4. Choice of departure time 2.5. Route choice 2.6. Mode choice 2.7. Destination choice and frequency of travel 2.8. Overall traffic flows 3. Discussion 3.1. Induced trips and shifts in existing trips 3.2. Consequences for modelling 3.3. Need for further research 4. Conclusions References

• Published in: Transportation (Dordrecht) Vol. 23; no. 1; p. 71
• Main Authors: Kroes, Eric, Daly, Andrew, Gunn, Hugh, TOON VAN DER HOORN
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Springer Nature B.V 01.02.1996
• Subjects: Canals; Case studies; Households; Infrastructure; Interviews; Rivers; Roads & highways; Route choice; Traffic congestion; Travel
• ISSN: 0049-4488

This paper presents the results of a major before-and-after study carried out to establish the short term effects of the removal of a severe bottleneck in the road network around Amsterdam. An important focus in the study was on measuring changes in the timing of travel, as well as changes in route choice, mode choice, destination choice and frequency of travel. The results of the study indicated that, in the short run, there was little or no change in mode choice, nor was there significant emergence of new "induced" trips. On the other hand, large shifts in time of travel as well as route choice were reported, emphasising the importance of alterations to the timing and routes of existing trips when congestion is relieved, and the need to consider the benefits these bring in evaluating the impact of any road investment.