The Hague is in danger of running aground without a bold and progressive public transport plan.
This urgent warning comes from the local branch of the traveller organisation Rover, which has presented its vision “Public transport on the way to 2030-2035 ev” to the Hague city council. The plans should not only serve as a guideline for improvements in public transport, but also as inspiration for the election programmes of parties towards the municipal elections in 2026.
According to Rover, a future-proof public transport network is essential to accommodate the growth of the city and to guarantee mobility. The most important spearheads from the vision are high-frequency connections to crucial locations such as the city centre, Scheveningen and the international zone, but also a more fine-meshed network in which stops can be reached within a radius of 500 metres. In addition, there is a plea for better social safety, affordable fares and real-time travel information.
ambitious plans
The vision contains concrete proposals to significantly improve the transport capacity in the region. One of the most striking plans is the extension and connection of the RandstadRail lines, which should create a more robust network. In addition, the development of the so-called Koningscorridor is proposed, a fast light rail or metro connection to Scheveningen that should better open up the coastal area.
The public transport network must also be expanded to both densely populated city districts and areas with a lower population density. Rover wants to further improve the accessibility of the city through a combination of extra tram lines, bus connections and possibly a further expansion of the RandstadRail. Another major proposal is the extension of the existing E-line towards Scheveningen, which will also directly include new housing locations in the network.
Arnold van der Heijden, chairman of Rover-Den Haag, emphasizes that importance of the plans: “With this vision, we want to look beyond the annual transport plans. But at the same time, it is more than a plan; it is a concrete call to action.” He calls on politicians to work with Rover and other stakeholders on a public transport network that keeps the city liveable and accessible.
Not only the public transport network, but also the rules around bicycle parking are getting an update. The NS has announced that it will implement a series of adjustments after criticism from Rover and other consumer organisations. Important changes include making it cheaper to park bicycles with bicycle crates and increasing the maximum compensation for bicycle theft.
Until now, compensation for theft of a regular bike was lower than that of an e-bike. Rover found this an incomprehensible situation. "It can't be that you get a full refund for an e-bike worth 1250 euros in the event of theft, while you only get 750 euros back for a city bike of the same price?" the organization stated. The NS has then decided to equalize the compensations: from now on, the maximum compensation for both an e-bike and a regular bike is €1000.
bicycle parking
In addition, NS will adjust its general terms and conditions for bicycle parking to make the rules more transparent. The possibility that travellers will be able to check in and out of bicycle parking facilities with their bank card is already being taken into account. Efforts are also being made to make more efficient use of the available space. A maximum parking period will be introduced in some parking facilities and Swapfiets bicycles that are left for too long will no longer be stored, but will be sent directly to the company behind Swapfiets.
Consumer organisations remain critical, however, and want the rules to be further clarified. They advocate, among other things, clear guidelines on which rates apply to mopeds and scooters, and how to deal with non-standard bicycles – bicycles with unusual dimensions that may entail additional parking costs. “Parking bicycles with bicycle crates, bicycle bags and child seats should actually not be more expensive than parking a standard bicycle,” is the joint criticism.
