Rijkswaterstaat, the police and traffic control have seen no reason to decide to open the barriers.
On Saturday, four incidents took place in which emergency services were inconvenienced by extreme traffic congestion in the city, according to a letter from traffic alderman Van der Horst to the city council. These traffic problems were caused by the traffic restrictions in the Weesperstraat, the closure of the A10 Noord, a closed IJ tunnel and the Keti Koti celebrations. As a result, the opposition parties have requested an urgent debate.
There were two incidents involving ambulances, one incident involving a fire engine and one incident involving a police car. The police car in particular had to perform various maneuvers to navigate through the extreme traffic in East. These situations have arisen as a result of the traffic restrictions in the Weesperstraat, a measure that has been implemented to reduce traffic and improve the quality of life in the city.
Yesterday morning, an ambulance, which drove without emergency from the Indische Buurt to Noord, experienced considerable delays due to traffic congestion. The 9,2 kilometer drive ended up taking about two hours. In the night from Friday to Saturday, flower boxes were placed on one of the available lanes. Ambulance personnel were forced to move the flower boxes, which resulted in a delay in their emergency call.
In her letter, alderman Van der Horst emphasizes that on Saturday there was several contacts between Amsterdam's traffic control and Rijkswaterstaat. Despite the crowds, it was jointly decided not to open the barriers. Van der Horst gives the reason that opening the barriers could possibly have an 'attractive effect' on traffic trying to avoid the A10.
“We notice that during a busy weekend with work on the A10 and in the city, the busy Keti Koti celebration and the pilot on the Weesperstraat, an incident in the IJtunnel immediately has major consequences for car traffic. Although the closure was soon over, it will take some time for traffic to flow normally again. The city director indicated that opening the barriers would probably attract more traffic in the city. Rijkswaterstaat, the police and traffic control have seen no reason to decide to open the barriers," said van der Horst in a statement. response at AT5.
After an exciting emergency debate on Wednesday evening, in which AT5 reports showed that incidents with delayed emergency services have indeed occurred in connection with the Weesperknip, alderman Van der Horst has promised to provide daily updates on new incidents.
