Dutch residents should avoid the Randstad during NATO Summit in June, agency says

The government is calling on people to avoid the Randstad as much as possible from Monday, June 23, to Thursday, June 26. This is due to safety and traffic measures that are being taken regarding the NATO Summit, which will be held at the World Forum in The Hague. To get the dozens of world leaders and thousands of delegates to The Hague safely, roads will be closed and severe delays are likely, the government warned.

The call to avoid the Randstad is linked to a call to work from home as much as possible during the week in June. In addition, the government advises people against traveling during rush hours and to use public transport as much as possible. “The Hague will remain as accessible as possible in this way,” a statement read.

Rijkswaterstaat director Robert-Jaap Voorn has said that people should expect “a tripling of normal traffic congestion during rush hour.” Voorn thinks it is “important that world leaders can move and stay in the Randstad with dignity, safety, hospitality and undisturbed.”

The measures will affect the whole country. People who are planning to drive from Groningen to The Hague or Rotterdam are advised to go past Arnhem, Nijmegen, and Dordrecht. Rijkswaterstaat thinks that this would lead to a reduction of 30 percent in traffic, but the reduction is “too small to prevent severe delays.”

There will be no obstructions to the railway lines. More people may travel by train during the week. The national railway company NS has said that, despite this, they will not be running any more trains than usual.

The exact effect the summit will have on local public transport is unclear. "It is expected that public transport lines will also become busier and that some routes may be canceled.”

Road users between Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam should expect disruptions from Sunday afternoon, June 22, including the placement of barriers. Motorways, on- and off-ramps viaducts, and tunnels of the A4, A5, A44, N44, and N14 may be temporarily and partially closed. This also applies to regional and local roads around and in The Hague, Rotterdam, Wassenaar, Katwijk, Noordwijk, Haarlemmermeer, and Leiden.