Several residents on Utrechtsestraat in the city centre spent Thursday counting traffic by hand to verify official figures. Armed with pen and paper from 06:00 until midnight, they tracked cars, taxis, and scooters moving in and out of the street.
The count follows a municipal study investigating whether to turn Utrechtsestraat into a one-way street. The city argues that the route is currently too busy and unsafe, pointing to a count from last year that recorded 4,282 vehicles per day.
Some local residents question that total and believe traffic levels are manageable for most of the day outside delivery hours. They fear that a one-way system would divert drivers onto surrounding residential streets and canals.
Dispute over vehicle numbers
Gonny van Oudenallen from neighbourhood association Wetering Verbetering explained that the group wanted their own baseline to understand any discrepancy with the city data. Resident Elma Bekker noted that all vehicle movements were being tallied manually.
Opinions in the neighbourhood remain divided on the proposal. Earlier this year, other residents called for a rapid shift to one-way traffic to widen narrow footpaths and create more space for pedestrians.
The volunteer counters are compiling their final numbers and intend to present the results to the municipality in September. City officials are expected to make a final decision on Utrechtsestraat by the end of this year.
