The AD reported a significant surge in car volumes on Dutch roads, marking an addition of 180,000 vehicles, totaling to 9.4 million last year. This influx has led to more severe and prolonged

traffic congestions, as highlighted on Monday.

Within the country, 370,000 new cars were purchased, and an additional 254,000 vehicles were imported. However, the export count stood at 280,000, with 164,000 cars heading to demolition yards. Consequently, this influx resulted in a net growth of 180,585 cars, equivalent to creating a traffic jam spanning from Utrecht to the Dordogne, as per the paper's analogy.

The surge is nearly twice the usual increment observed in preceding years, potentially attributed to a post-coronavirus rebound and slowed deliveries due to microchip shortages.

The Netherlands, the paper noted, boasts the highest density of cars per square kilometer among all European countries. Chiel van Lent from the motoring organization ANWB emphasized the growing significance of cars outside major cities, pointing out the declining availability of services and an increasing reliance on automobiles.

The congestion rate, calculated by multiplying the length and duration of traffic jams, escalated by 17% compared to 2022 and surged by 6% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019 when commuting and travel were less restricted due to COVID-19. Photo by Neushorn, Wikimedia commons.