Work from home means big infrastructure plans should be re-evaluated: Dutch planning office

There will also be fewer traffic jams in the Netherlands in the long term. This is the conclusion of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) based on data research and inquiries among people who work from home. Traffic in rush hour in particular will decrease because more people will continue to work from home, according to the researchers. They therefore advise the government to reconsider the planned billion euros investments in the road network and public transport due to the changed travel behavior.

The mobility system is largely based on peak loads, while those peaks are becoming less extreme.

However, the number of transport movements is expected to remain the same compared to before the coronavirus crisis. This is because people often go out, for example to go shopping or to visit someone. These travel movements compensate for the decrease in the number of kilometers for commuting. However, the big difference with the time before the coronavirus is that these 'new' journeys mainly take place outside rush hour and are often shorter than to work. Furthermore, the working from home option makes it easier for employees to decide for themselves when they travel for work, and thus avoid rush hour.

The effect of working from home on the housing market appears to be limited for the time being, according to the PBL. They see no directly demonstrable relationship with increased working from home. They do note that fewer people are currently settling in the Randstad or other cities and that the difference between house prices in the Randstad and the rest of the Netherlands is narrowing.

Working from home is not expected to have much effect on the use of the amount of office space, according to the researchers. The biggest changes will likely be seen in the use of the office itself. For example, there is a greater need for consultation rooms and less for workplaces.

Due to the proven benefits of working from home, working from home should be given full status in the work culture of companies, the researchers believe. The government should help with this by making agreements with employers and employees.