Pollution cuts A10, A13 speed limits

The maximum speed on the A13 at Rotterdam-Overschie and the A10-west at Amsterdam will go down from 100 to 80 kmph at the end of March, minister for traffic Schultz van Haegen announced on Tuesday. Congestion levels will remain the same on both routes, however minister Schultz (VVD) is still taking the measure as a "precaution."

Several years ago, minister Schultz changed the speed limit on both routes from 80 to 100 kmph, which led to widespread protest from residents and organizations. Judicial procedures followed, and the judge decided that the minister should support her decision better. New calculations in air pollution on the A13 at Overschie point to no excess air pollution at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, but it does predict that the critical limit will be very near as of 1 January 2015. After the opening of the A4 Delft-Schiedam, in about two years, Shultz is counting on a "substantial decline" in traffic on the A13 at Overschie. Then she will take another look at the speed limit. At the A10-west it seems that air quality at 100 kmph is more than satisfactory, except on one location. Here, there is an apartment building on both sides of the highway, where air pollution does become excessive. This is because unclean air piles up at lower floors. "Despite the air quality problem continuing to exist at two flats next to the A10 at 80 kimometers per hour, I have decided as a precaution to lower the speed during the day to 80 kilometers per hour", Schultz said. At the moment, a maximum speed limit of 80 kmph is already in place for the evening and night on this route. The minister is maintaining speed limit hikes at the A12 at Voorburg (exiting the city), the A2 through Maastricht and the A28 at Zeist. The situations here are not comparable to those at the A13 and A10-west.