Amsterdam’s most irritating traffic light is at the Middenweg

23 January 2017

Amsterdam’s most irritating traffic light is at the crossing of Middenweg and Wembleylaan, according to a poll among cyclists. The Amsterdam branch of cyclists’ organisation Fietsersbond says the top 10 most irritating traffic lights are well-known problem sites.

Comments made by participants in the poll show that cyclists are not just annoyed about long delays; they are also concerned about safety, especially at locations where many (school) children cross the street. Some cyclists nevertheless keep their spirits up: Plenty of time for an espresso there!!

Red and orange dots show locations of irritating traffic lights. If any comments have been submitted, the dot is red. Click on a red dot, or type a few letters below, to see comments about a particular crossing (comments are mostly in Dutch).

Here are the ten most irritating traffic lights:

  1. Middenweg / Wembleylaan
  2. Amstelveenseweg / Zeilstraat
  3. Middenweg / Veeteeltstraat
  4. Rozengracht / Marnixstraat
  5. Meer en Vaart / Cornelis Lelylaan Nz
  6. IJburglaan / Zuiderzeeweg
  7. mr Treublaan / Weesperzijde
  8. Frederiksplein / Westeinde
  9. Nassauplein / Haarlemmerweg
  10. Van Eesterenlaan / Fred Petterbaan

Some are at routes where the city gives priority to car circulation, at the expense of cyclists and pedestrians. However, cyclists say they frequently have to wait at red lights even though the crossing is empty. This could be a result of budget cuts on maintenance of the systems that detect waiting cyclists.

Quite a few cyclists complained about cars running red lights (perilous!) or blocking the crossing. Further, not everybody is happy with crossings where all cyclists simultaneously get a green light. Such a set-up is nice if you have to make a left turn, for it will spare you having to wait twice, but it may result in chaos.

The Fietsersbond wants traffic lights adjusted to create shorter waiting times for cyslists and pedestrians. Research by DTV consultants found that adjusting traffic lights is a simple and cheap way to improve the circulation of cyclists, and that it also improves safety.

An analysis of location data from cyclists’ smart phones found that there are traffic lights in Amsterdam where the average time lost exceeds 30 seconds.

Thank you to the Fietsersbond and to Eric Plankeel for their input; and to all cyclists who participated in the poll.

Source: dirkmjk | Categories: Data, Fiets