Attachm <br />Pedestrian safety: a road safety inanual for decision-makers and practitioners <br />Attach <br />BOX 4.2: Improving pedestrian safety in The Hague, the Netherlands <br />The city of The Hague is located in the west of the <br />Netherlands in the province of Zuid-Holland. It is <br />about 45 kilometres from Amsterdam and 15 kilo- <br />metres from Rotterdam. Approximately half a million <br />people live in this city, which has a well-developed <br />pedestrian infrastructure network and support ser- <br />vices. The network and support services are the <br />result of several years of action taken by different <br />governments, local organizations and the public. <br />Sustained efforts towards pedestrian safety in The <br />Hague have been characterized by the following <br />features: <br />Pedestrian deaths and injuries in The Hague (1993-2009) <br />y 60 <br />Inclusion of financial resources for pedestrian <br />safety measures in the overall budget for infra- <br />structure development at the local and national <br />government level. <br />Decentralization of decision-making on pedestrian <br />safety issues to the local government level. The <br />national Ministry of Infrastructure and Environ- <br />ment does not have administrative responsibility <br />for pedestrian facilities. This role has been del- <br />egated to local authorities. <br />• Integration of pedestrian safety solutions and <br />facilities into overall urban and transport planning <br />at the local level. Local authorities do not see <br />pedestrian safety and infrastructure planning as <br />independent tasks but rather as integral compo- <br />nents of general urban management. <br />• Taking action whenever a need or an issue is iden- <br />tified. For example, local authorities repair and <br />maintain pedestrian infrastructure whenever there <br />7 <br />6 <br />m 5 <br />0 <br />n q <br />E 3 <br />Z 2 <br />70 <br />60 - <br />50 m <br />40 <br />oo <br />30 °m <br />`o <br />20 E <br />z' <br />10 <br />69 <br />C <br />B <br />15 <br />is a complaint from a member of the public or a <br />business. <br />• Reviewing and implementing pedestrian safety <br />policy consistently. As part of the sustained <br />pedestrian safety improvement effort, in 1989 The <br />Hague City Council agreed upon De Kern Gezond <br />(a healthy heart for the inner city) plan. The plan <br />provided the framework for the design of pub- <br />lic space within the inner city. It outlined a new <br />approach towards public space. In the late 1980s, <br />the inner city of The Hague was car-dominated, <br />with heavy traffic passing through it. De Kern <br />Gezond prioritized pedestrians in public space <br />design. Streets and squares were redesigned to <br />favour pedestrians. The municipality began by <br />increasing pedestrian zones. A new design and <br />new materials were used, well adapted to the <br />scale and speed of pedestrians. The central sta- <br />tion area was redeveloped and the busy distributor <br />roads were placed underground. The surface level <br />was freed up for pedestrians and cyclists to move <br />freely and safely. In 2011, almost the entire old <br />city was transformed to a pedestrian area. Pres- <br />ently, The Hague has the largest car-free zone in <br />the Netherlands. <br />Generally, the number of pedestrians killed in The <br />Hague each year does not exceed 10. In some <br />years, there has been only one pedestrian killed. <br />This is largely due to the sustained implementation <br />of pedestrian, transport and urban development pro- <br />grammes in the city. This has been also reflected in <br />the number of serious pedestrian injuries. <br />0 <br />1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 <br />Year <br />