Documents reveal early warnings from emergency services over Amsterdam street closure

More incidents involving emergency services have occurred during the Weesperstraat closure trial in Amsterdam, AT5 reported on Friday. A document from the municipality revealed that officials were aware of these incidents at the very early stage of the trial.

The six-week pilot program, which ran from June 12 to July 23, aimed to study its impact on traffic, safety, air quality, noise, and residents' perceptions. The closure of Weesperstraat, one of the city's most important roads, led to several controversies. It notably caused additional traffic and affected emergency services, businesses, and cab drivers. Residents of neighboring areas were also affected by a sudden surge of cars rerouting around the closed road.

Amsterdam's Traffic Alderman, Melanie van der Horst, initially claimed there were few indications that the closure impacted emergency services. But documents released on Friday revealed that officials were informed of several issues with emergency service access from the trial's start.

For instance, an ambulance was stopped by a malfunctioning barrier and unresponsive traffic controllers on the first trial day, an Ambulance Amsterdam employee's email detailed. Furthermore, GHOR officer cars were denied access on June 19, one week after the start of the trial. The document also revealed that emergency services had voiced concerns as early as 2021.

The issues were only discussed in the city council on June 28. At the time, van der Horst expressed frustration at receiving this information during the debate. AT5 reported that day that the ambulance and fire services had experienced several incidents in the trial's initial weeks, which van der Horst later stated had not been previously communicated to her.

The document published on Friday confirms that officials were aware of the issues. A spokesperson for van der Horst announced in response to AT5 that the officials had not transmitted these signals to her, and they had been overlooked internally.

The full evaluation, including findings and recommendations regarding emergency services, is expected to be published later this month, according to the spokesperson.