Road categorization plan

Due to national developments and studies conducted in Wassenaar regarding the 30 km/h speed limit, the municipality has decided to update the 2016 road classification plan. We have been working on this over the past two years.

All roads in Wassenaar where the speed limit exceeds 30 km/h have been assessed for accessibility, safety, and livability. This includes 27 roads. This assessment led to the revised road categorization plan for Wassenaar. And Wassenaar has now almost entirely transitioned to 30 km/h roads.

Would you like to view the draft road classification plan? You can find it in the documents at the bottom of the page.

Purpose road categorization plan

The purpose of the road categorization plan is to improve safety and livability on the roads in Wassenaar, while maintaining accessibility. We want to achieve this by ensuring that the function, form and use of the roads are well matched. It is important that every road user clearly sees the type of road they are driving on. A road categorization plan takes into account different types of traffic: cars, trucks, cyclists, emergency services and public transportation. The ultimate goal is to have a traffic network that fits within the municipality and meets the needs of residents and road users.

Alderman Traffic Wim Koetsier: "I want to improve the safety and livability on the roads in Wassenaar, without reducing accessibility. It is important to go ahead with this plan now, so that the residents of Wassenaar can safely get on their bikes to go to work, school or family and friends. We want to achieve this by reducing the speed on a number of roads to 30 km/h and design accordingly. This desire is also in line with a motion passed in the House of Representatives in October 2020."

Basis of arrangement of roads in Wassenaar

Wassenaar has a large number of roads. Only roads with speed limits higher than 30 km/h have been assessed for accessibility, safety, and livability. This includes 27 roads. Following the advisory report from the Citizens’ Traffic Council and subsequent feedback from the City Council, the City Council has proposed a plan to reduce the speed limit on the majority of roads within the built-up area to 30 km/h. These will eventually be designated as GOW30.

All roads in the same category should be designed in the same way as much as possible. This plan serves as the basis for the design or redesign of those roads. Customization within a given road type (and within national guidelines) is also possible. Customization takes the form of specific requirements for a road, such as size, appearance, and speed, to ensure the road fits as well as possible into its surroundings. Factors taken into account include accessibility for emergency and rescue services and bus transportation. In addition, we follow the guiding principles for road design established by CROW. 

Participation

The City Council has released the draft road classification plan for public comment from July 19, 2024, to September 13, 2024. During this period, the plan was also available for public review at City Hall, located at 45 Johan de Wittstraat, 2242 LV Wassenaar. The plan was previously available for public review in January 2024. 

The comments received have been forwarded (in anonymized form) to the Traffic Citizens’ Advisory Board. The Citizens’ Advisory Board has issued a recommendation on this matter to the City Council. You can find more information about the Traffic Citizens’ Advisory Board on the project page. 

A final road classification plan is scheduled to be adopted by the end of 2026–2027.

Citizen's Council

At the council meeting of December 19, 2023, the motion for Citizen's Consultation was adopted by the City Council. This requests the college to organize a citizen's council on the Road Categorization Plan. 

What is a citizens' meeting?

A citizens' meeting is a form of resident participation. It involves a representative group of residents, randomly selected from the Wassenaar population, coming together to discuss and make recommendations on policy issues under guidance. During the citizen consultation, participants can draw on independent experts and technical expertise on the topic. The goal is to make the voice of the residents heard and involve them directly in decision-making processes. By deploying a citizens' council in addition to the previously conducted forms of resident participation, a broadly supported plan in which Wassenaar society can agree should be achieved.

Approach

In order to implement the motion, the City Council provided funds for this purpose. A study is currently underway on how citizens' council can be organized in Wassenaar. This could include how the sample for the citizens' council will be composed, how many residents will be allowed to participate and which residents will take part. As soon as more is clear, the college will come up with a proposal on which external agency will supervise the process, how the organization of the citizens' council will look like, which additional resources may be necessary and when the citizens' council can start.

Meanwhile, the Citizens' Consultation on Traffic has been completed. More information can be found on the Citizen's Consultation on Traffic project page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the 2016 road categorization plan renewed?

The Wassenaar City Council has a desire to improve road safety by reducing speeds to 30 km/h on more roads. This desire is consistent with a motion passed in the House of Representatives in October 2020. That motion states that 30 km/h should be the standard speed within built-up areas.

Can I see the draft road categorization plan?

Yes, see the attachment at the bottom of the page. 

Have all roads in Wassenaar been looked at for the amended plan?

No, we did not review the roads that already have a 30 km/h speed limit. These roads will remain unchanged and will not be reclassified. There are 27 roads where the current speed limit is 50 km/h. We reviewed only these roads for the 2024 Road Classification Plan. Most of these roads have since been downgraded to a 30 km/h speed limit.

Why don't all roads in Wassenaar become 30 km per hour?

Wittenburgerweg, Stoeplaan, Groot Haesebroekseweg, Papegaaienlaan, and Katwijkseweg (between the roundabout and the village) will remain classified as GOW50. This decision was made because these roads are already designated as GOW50 without compromising quality of life or safety. By maintaining these roads as GOW50, bus services will have a more reliable route. 

Will the police enforce the 30 km/h?

Enforcement is the final piece. This means first focusing on appropriate infrastructure with a credible speed limit and influencing behavior. Only then will enforcement be deployed. 

The plan lists roads as abbreviations. What are ETW, GOW30 and GOW50 roads?

  • An ETW30 is a residential access road with a speed limit of 30 mph. This refers to a residential street or industrial area where all traffic uses the same roadway.
  • A GOW50 is a 50 km/h distributor road. A distributor road facilitates both flow (on the road sections) and exchange of traffic (at the intersections). The travel speeds of motorized traffic are therefore higher than on access roads, and cyclists must therefore have their own separate facilities from a safety perspective.
  • A GOW30 is an Area Road with a maximum speed of 30 km/h. This is a through road where the speed is lower for safety reasons due to the high presence of houses, driveways, school surroundings, stores, etc. Cyclists here often have their own place on the road via bicycle lanes.

What measures will the municipality take to make the roads that remain 50 km/h safer?

The implementation program will include how we will make these roads safer.

Does the road categorization plan also solve unwanted through traffic (creeping traffic)? 

The Road Classification Plan is not intended to address undesirable through traffic, but serves as a guideline for road redesign processes. The impact of the speed limit on existing traffic flows is limited. Undesirable through traffic through Wassenaar is caused by longer travel times and greater travel distances via the A44/N44. The problem will not be solved by introducing more 30 km/h roads, but this may have a positive effect. This will be taken into account in the evaluation.

Can I see the license plate survey about sneak traffic in Wassenaar?

Yes. You can view the results of the September 2022 license plate survey.

Planning

  1. Completed: Draft road categorization plan released for public comment - Completion date

    Draft Road Categorization Plan was released for public comment at the December 19, 2023 council meeting. This went forward with the passage of the Citizens' Consultation motion. 

  2. Completed: For consideration - Completion date

    The draft Road Categorization Plan is available for review. As well as during the period July 19 through September 13, 2024.

  3. Completed: Processing incoming views - Completion date

    From September 2024 through November 2024, the views received will be processed and anonymized. It will then be sent to the Citizen's Council on Traffic for information. 

  4. Completed: Citizen's Council on Traffic - Completion date

    The Citizens' Consultation on Traffic took place in four meetings:

    • November 13, 2024
    • December 13, 2024
    • Jan. 17, 2025
    • Feb. 7, 2025

  5. Completed: Handing over Citizens' Advisory Report on Traffic - Completion date

    At the last meeting, the participants of the citizens' council presented their opinions to the college. The advisory report (without the administrative response) was sent to the City Council for information in March 2025.

  6. Completed: The administrative decision-making process - Completion date

    • May 19, 2025: Discussion of the advisory report and the administrative response (appreciation) in the Physical Environment Committee meeting. This will include discussion of the Memorandum of Reply to the submitted views.
    • June 3, 2025: Consideration of the council proposal on the Citizens' Advisory Report on Traffic and the Memorandum of Reply at the council meeting. The college provides an administrative response (appreciation) in advance, explaining which opinions, among others, are potentially feasible from a traffic, legal and financial point of view and which are not.
    • December 1, 2025: Discussion of the Road Categorization Plan at the Physical Environment Committee meeting. The draft plan will be amended based on the council's adopted opinions from the advisory report and Memorandum of Reply.
    • December 17, 2025: Discussion of the Road Classification Plan at the council meeting. A decision on the Road Classification Plan is scheduled for December 2025.

Documents