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Get those helmets and seat belts on! The Netherlands ranks low in road safety in Europe

Kavana Desai
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Get those helmets and seat belts on! The Netherlands ranks low in road safety in Europe

The Netherlands has dropped seven whole places in the ranking for road safety in Europe since 2010. They were ranked fourth in 2010 for their successful approach, as RTL Nieuws puts it, but has dropped to the eleventh position in 2018. 

It is one of the three countries in Europe to have an increased number of deaths on the road since 2010, reports RTL Nieuws according to figures from the European Traffic Safety Council (ETSC). The other two countries are Malta and Sweden. The rest of the countries saw a decrease in deaths on the road since 2010.

How did this happen?

“It is a sad fact,” notes Peter van der Knaap, director of the Dutch Road Safety Research Foundation (SWOV). “There is a lot of suffering behind that ranking. If we had succeeded in maintaining that high position on the ranking, it would have saved a lot of human lives.” According to him, there isn’t enough attention and backing being given to road safety in the Netherlands. He uses examples of a decrease in police checks and cutbacks on lights on the highway.

The amount of funds allocated to improve road safety in the Netherlands is also not sufficient, says Bert van Wee from TU Delft to RTL Nieuws. According to them, 4.7 percent, or 11 billion euros, of government funds was allocated to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Now, it is only 3.4 percent, or 8 billion euros. Wee says that this “trend is in line with the declining interest in road safety.”

Road Safety 2030

The Netherlands seems to be feeling the pressure to improve road safety for its citizens as they have come up with a new ambitious plan: Road Safety 2030. A lot more attention will be paid to cyclists and the elderly. Do you remember the infamous moped ban on cycle roads, and the helmet rule? SWOV has already said that bicycle helmets could save 85 lives a year! Kinda makes sense now, doesn’t it?

Do you still believe the Netherlands could do without changing its road safety policies? Do you think that helmets for cyclists are unnecessary? Let us know in the comments below!

All smoking rooms in the Netherlands are now banned

Ailish Lalor
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All smoking rooms in the Netherlands are now banned

Following a ruling of the Supreme Court this morning at 10:00, all smoking rooms in the Netherlands are now banned.

Since July 1, 2008, a smoking ban has been applied in the hospitality industry in the Netherlands – with the exception of specially designated smoking areas. The anti-smoking association Clean Air Nederland (CAN) went to court to remove this exception. They argued that it was in contravention of a World Health Organisation (WHO) treaty which the Netherlands had also signed.

Legal history of the case

The court of The Hague had already ruled in favour of CAN, but the government decided to appeal to the Supreme Court. This morning the Supreme Court rejected the appeal and ruled that smoking rooms are not legal.

A few months ago, the Supreme-Advocate, the legal advisor to the Supreme Court, concluded that the exceptional position in the Dutch hospitality industry is illegal. Smoking rooms put social pressure on non-smokers to be in areas where they breathe in smoke. They also force staff, who must clean these areas, to be exposed to smoke. Furthermore, smoke will always make its way into the non-smoking areas of the establishment.

Smoking rooms need to be demolished right away

The government had appealed the earlier ruling by The Hague court on the grounds that it would ban smoking rooms later in 2022, in accordance with the prevention agreement of State Secretary Paul Blokhuis (Public Health). However, with today’s Supreme Court ruling, smoking rooms will need to be demolished this very day.

Impacts on the hospitality industry

This will have significant financial implications for businesses in hospitality, Breghje van Eupen of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) explains. “The impact of the ruling is huge. Research by KHN in 2018 shows that there are around seven thousand smoking rooms in the Netherlands. They can then no longer be used as smoking areas. That means that hotel and catering entrepreneurs have to demolish these smoking rooms or have to renovate them considerably. That entails the necessary costs.”

Local residents affected

Furthermore, the disappearance of smoking rooms may lead to new problems- which may affect local residents even more. Hundreds of people may end up smoking outside hospitality establishments, causing air pollution in the area outside the business. Of course, how this ban actually ends up being implemented remains to be seen.

What do you think about the new ban on smoking rooms? Will it help non-smokers, or make life worse for local residents? Let us know in the comments below. 

Feature Image: Gerd Altmann/ Pixabay 

Last bell: lack of teachers forces Amsterdam school to permanently close doors

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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Last bell: lack of teachers forces Amsterdam school to permanently close doors

A school in Amsterdam will wave a final goodbye to 111 students after being hit hard by the national teacher shortage. The Netherlands is currently in urgent need of around 5,500 educators.

The struggle of 16e Montessorischool to put teachers at the front of the classroom has become so dire the school will shut its books – forever. Groups 6, 7, and 8 will transfer schools after Autumn Break, while the rest will remain until the end of December.

Student numbers at 16e Montessorischool have been declining for three years, but it may have been a 2018 unsatisfactory mark from the Education Department that broke the camels back.

It’s the first known school to have been struck so badly by the national teacher shortage that it could no longer operate.

Hubert de Waard, director of the Sirius Foundation which manages 16e Montessorischool and 13 others, said they tried to solve the issue of a lack of teaching staff, but it became no longer possible.

“Parents see that their children were often redistributed across other classes. The director also regularly acted as a teacher,” he told RTL Nieuws. “The urgency was too high, and we could no longer come up with solutions.”

What is the national teacher shortage?

The Netherlands has been struggling to put teachers in front of classes for years. In the second quarter of 2019 there were 2,400 jobs going for primary school teachers, and 3,100 jobs available for secondary educators.

It’s the most vacancies for teachers the Netherlands has ever experienced and has hit the Randstad the hardest.

Politicians have slammed the government for not releasing more money. Leader of PvdA, Lodewijk Asscher, told RTL Nieuws that nice words from the cabinet are not enough.

“There is a crisis in our education that threatens the future of our children. That crisis must be fought.” he said. “All children must be sure of a good teacher in class.”

Have you been struck by the teacher shortage? Do you think more school closures should be forecast? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Pixabay/Pexels

The first sustainable tiny offices in Leiden

Freya Sawbridge
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The first sustainable tiny offices in Leiden

In the former nursery garden tucked just below Leiden’s Central Station train tracks, the first tiny offices have been built! The foundations have been erected but the insides just need to be furbished. 

The area is a testing ground for sustainability and these small offices hope to be a creative breeding ground where people come together and work on solutions for challenges in the urban area.

The materials are sourced locally 

What’s more is that the materials for the tiny offices are sourced locally from around the city and region. For example, the insulation of the walls is made from old jeans and the walls are made from residual material from the 41 anniversary of the student society Minerva.

The pavilion will be built with the construction steel of the old Gorlaeus Laboratory of the University Lead. 

tiny office leiden
The building process

tiny offices leiden

Tiny offices in Leiden: Another step toward sustainable urbanisation

Sustainable developer councillor, Fleur Spijker, said “with such a long process it is important that during the development process there is lots of liveliness in the area so that people can see that something is going to happen. Moreover, we can share the experiences and lessons that we are acquiring here and immediately apply them to the rest of the city. It is certainly a good example of sustainable urbanisation!”

tiny offices Leiden
The completed office. Photo by Abuzer van Leeuwen

Bastiaan de Roo, director of PLNT, thinks “it will be a place where we can transition to a clean, fair, sustainable and accelerate toward a resilient economy. These offices will showcase the possibilities of building with reusable materials and become a testing ground for future innovations, including in the field of sustainable urbanisation.”

More of Leiden’s sustainability initiatives

Leiden is a city that fosters sustainable initiatives and is striving to be more clean and green. It could also be said that it is possibly the smartest city in the Netherlands? (okay, we’re bias).

Here are some of the latest initiatives that showcase Leiden’s sustainability:

1. PLNT

PLNT is a hub of innovation near the centre of Leiden and very close to the newly renovated Museum de Lakenhal. Just to give you an idea of what they’re doing at PLNT: at the entry of the building is an Aquaponics where fish and food grow together. The fish eat, grow and produce waste which bacteria convert into plant feed.

Rooftop at PLNT

The roof garden is adorned with beautiful flowers and boasts stunning views over Leiden. In the far corner is a chicken coop which supply eggs to the PLNT cafe. Plans are in the works to make the roof retain rain water and for plants to generate electricity.

2. Singelpark

Singelpark is simply put, a park made up of the ‘ring’  of canals around the old city centre of Leiden. It can be likened to New York’s High Line and will lead you passed many iconic sights in the city (including PLNT and the wonderful Hortus Botanicus). Stretch those legs and get walking the 6km pathway!

Keen to get involved in the tiny office project?

Do you want to use a pavilion or office or organise a meeting at the field? Or perhaps you have materials that could be used in the building process? Then email contact@plnt.nl or call 071-5272467 

PS. This is not a sponsored post this, we just give em love 🙂

The Dutch are striking for the climate this Friday

Ailish Lalor
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1
The Dutch are striking for the climate this Friday

Last Friday, the worldwide climate strike began. This Friday, it’s coming to the Hague, as thousands of people are expected to gather to express their frustration with the Dutch government’s handling of the climate crisis.

Fridays for Future

Strikers will gather in The Hague tomorrow at 1pm on Koekamp to protest against the Dutch government’s lack of action in the face of the climate crisis. According to Fridays for Future Nederland, “The current climate agreement is not enough and it’s not in accordance with the Urgenda verdict. We demand a Dutch Green New Deal with fair and ambitious climate policy to tackle the climate crisis effectively.”

The Urgenda verdict was the result of a court case in 2015, in which the Netherlands became the first country in the world to be legally obliged to act against climate change, and that any delay in doing so would be in contravention of the court’s ruling.

Young people have been striking for the climate since February last year in the Netherlands. Photo: Gosse Bouma

A week of worldwide protests and strikes

Most countries had their major climate protest last Friday, but in the Netherlands, New Zealand and Italy (among others) the main protest will be held on the 27th. However, there were smaller events in the Netherlands last Friday as well.

Tomorrow, the protest in The Hague on Koekamp is expected to last from 13:00 until 15:30, after which various events will be held around the city, including a teach-in on the climate crisis at Leiden University College The Hague.

The protest in The Hague will close a week of worldwide striking and events. Image: Jasmin Sessler/ Pixabay

History of the movement

For the last year, there have been regular strikes on Friday by young people and students. The movement, Fridays for Future, was started by the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, and erupted in the Netherlands in February 2019. Last Friday, a week-long climate strike was declared: but this time adults were invited to join in. Strikes will have been held at over 4000 locations around the world by tomorrow.

Are you going to join the climate protest tomorrow in The Hague? Let us know in the comments below. 

This article’s feature image is by Gosse Bouma, who makes awesome videos of Amsterdam!

Nitrogen crisis in The Netherlands: are the Dutch going to cut speed limits?

Ailish Lalor
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Nitrogen crisis in The Netherlands: are the Dutch going to cut speed limits?

The maximum speed on national and provincial roads needs to be lowered as soon as possible in order to reduce nitrogen emissions and restore nature in the Netherlands, according to advice from the Remkes commission to the government.

The Netherlands must take “drastic measures” as soon as possible, as the nitrogen crisis threatens nature reserves. The quality of nature in the Netherlands has decreased due to nitrogen emissions in recent years. The cabinet is set to reply to the report by the beginning of October.

Reducing speed on highways

The Remkes commission has recommended for the speed on national and provincial roads to be reduced as soon as possible. Currently, the speed limit on these roads is 130 km/h. Although lowering this will increase journey times, it will drastically improve traffic flow, which will reduce the amount of nitrogen emitted. Also, studies have shown that the optimum speed for fuel efficiency is 70km/hr: so when these new speed limits arrive, you can expect to save both the planet and your money!

Further advice for the aviation and shipping industries, freight transport and public transport is to be expected by May 2020. Forumla 1 may also be in danger.

Regulations for freight transport are expected next year. Source: Pixabay

Cleaning up farms

A second recommendation by the Remkes commission is to clean up out of date and polluting farms, and generally shut down livestock farms located close to Natura 2000 areas. Remkes, a member of the VVD, has dismissed a proposal by D66 to halve the number of pigs and chickens in the Netherlands, saying that it would not sit well with the livestock sector, and would unfairly penalise farmers who are attempting to be more environmentally friendly. The key is a targeted approach, focusing on farms that are producing more emissions, according to Remkes, who also suggests that the government fund innovation to make farming more environmentally friendly.

What do you think about a reduction in speed limits on regional and national roads? And should we get rid of half the chickens and pigs in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below. 

This article’s featured image is by Anthony Malefijt. If you’d like to see more of his photos, have a look at these stunning ones of Rotterdam!

NS is now 48 trains richer: Romanian company bought them but never picked them up

Kavana Desai
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NS is now 48 trains richer: Romanian company bought them but never picked them up

The NS is 48 trains richer but it was not exactly a gift. The central court of the Netherlands ruled that NS will have to take back 48 buffel trains that were sold to a Romanian transport company in 2014 and 2017. Well, I say take back but the truth is that they never left the Dutch tracks! 

These buffel or so-called buffalo trains were sold to the Romanian transport company Ferotrans. They were supposed to come pick them up from the Netherlands by April 2018, latest. But they’re still parked in Nijmegen. So what exactly happened?

buffalo trains
Image: Rob Dammers/Flickr

Why didn’t Ferotrans pick up the trains?

The whole affair has become more like a “he said-she said” situation where both the companies are blaming each other. Ferotrans claims that the Dutch railways were being a pain in the a*s with their bureaucracy. The Dutch railways are obviously refuting that as they say that they have done everything they can to make sure the trains were transported out of the country.

What happens to the trains now?

ProRail is set to start work on the tracks in Nijmegen in October and will need them to be cleared up. So, if the trains are not removed before October, ProRail will fine NS 1000 euros per train. With this court’s ruling, the ownership of the trains goes back to NS, which means that they are free to do what they want with them. According to NU.nl, they want to remove them and have them demolished. However, it’s still unknown as to where they will be taken. Talk about a long and arduous journey!

What do you make of this? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Rob Dammers/Flickr 

It’s happening! The direct train from Amsterdam to London will depart at the beginning of 2020!

Kavana Desai
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It’s happening! The direct train from Amsterdam to London will depart at the beginning of 2020!

For anyone looking to switch to trains for international travel from the Netherlands, we have some excellent news for you! Did you already know that you can take the Eurostar train from Amsterdam to London in four hours and 45 minutes? Currently, you have to transfer at Brussels for a customs check, but there are talks that this won’t be necessary from January onwards. No transfer = direct train from Amsterdam to London = reducing train journey by an hour = everyone is happy!

That is what the State Secretary of Justice and Security of the Netherlands Ankie Broekers-Knol said, reports The Volkskrant. But she was unsure of the exact date of when exactly this would happen.

Why does the Eurostar train to London transfer in Brussels?

With international travel, and going outside of the Schengen Zone, comes stringent border control and customs checks. This happens in Brussels as the train stations at Amsterdam and Rotterdam cannot accommodate the whole process.

According to this announcement, they will cancel this transfer at Brussels and take up the border control procedures in Amsterdam itself.

What about the Eurostar train to London from Rotterdam?

Unfortunately, the report does not mention anything about how this would affect the train that goes between Rotterdam and London. Most likely, the same direct route will be available, but we don’t have any official word on that yet.

direct eurostar train from Rotterdam to London

Why do they want to cancel the transfer for the Eurostar train to London in Brussels?

For the simple reason that they want to compete against budget flights. We know that train tickets to travel internationally have been selling like hotcakes in the Netherlands. With more people becoming environmentally conscious, it makes sense that the government would want to follow through on this. However, with the consequences of Brexit still unclear, we’re a while away from hopping on a train at Amsterdam Centraal and arriving in London in under four hours.

Currently, the trains have been running between Amsterdam and London three times a day. For one thing, these three trains a day can take the same number of passengers as 12 flights! That’s a lot of fuel saved there.

However, this is still a very expensive way to travel to London. So if they really want people to make that switch, they should consider lowering the prices as well.

What do you make of this? Will you be taking the Eurostar train to London instead (we’ve got one of our “everything you need to know” guides for this one) of a budget flight or do you need some more convincing? Let us know in the comments below!

The new Rhenus warehouse in Tilburg might be the most sustainable building in the world!

Kavana Desai
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0
The new Rhenus warehouse in Tilburg might be the most sustainable building in the world!

Tilburg: a city that keeps on giving! This city in the Netherlands seems like the prime spot for architectural innovations which frequently pushes the limits of sustainable building. We have the LocHal, a re-purposed locomotive hall which is now one of the top four libraries in the world; a completely solar-powered bus station; and now, they have what could be the world’s most sustainable building: the new Rhenus Warehouse.

Rhenus Logistics partnered up with Dokvast and Heembouw to build a distribution center in ‘Het Laar’, the industrial area in Tilburg.

What makes it rank high on the sustainability index?

Solar panels on the roof

As soon as you come up to the roof of the warehouse, you will see 13,000 solar panels which are used to produce energy to power the distribution center. According to Rhenus’ senior vice-president Alphons van Erven, these panels not only cuts down on their energy consumption but also yield enough to power 750 households a year in the country.

Rhenus building in Tilburg
Image: Rhenus B.V.

Triple-glazed windows to keep the cold out, and allow the sunshine through

The company has also invested in installing huge triple-glazed windows along the sides and either end of the building. Additionally, the building is airtight ensuring that it stays warm indoors when it’s cold outside. These huge glass windows also allows natural sunshine to come through. All in all, their energy costs to keep the building warm and bright has been cut phenomenally!

Rhenus warehouse in Tilburg
Image: Rhenus B.V.

Sustainability in the loo

Yes, their toilets too could not escape their well thought out sustainability measures. They will be using rainwater to flush their toilets. This will be collected on their roofs and be redirected to the loos around the building.

Landscape design

The brains behind this building also wanted to make sure that they would “re-establish the local flora to create appealing outdoor recreation areas to be enjoyed by the staff“. With these goals in mind, they curated designated areas around the building with plants and trees which will welcome staff and cheerful, chirpy birds alike! They hope these green patches will be brimming with employees looking for refuge from their everyday grind.

Rhenus warehouse in Tilburg
Image: Rhenus B.V.

Pretty neat, huh? If you want to know more about Tilburg and other innovative building projects, start with our video with Levi Hildebrand on how the city is leading the way in re-purposing old buildings!

If you want to know more about Tilburg and everything this city has to offer with its vibrant culture, music, and beautiful nature just head on over to the website! You won’t be disappointed 😉

Or if you need a short introduction to Tilburg, we have a short video for you!

How do you think this new warehouse fits into the whole vibe of Tilburg? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Rhenus B.V.

Your health insurance premiums are lining these companies’ pockets

Ailish Lalor
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0
Your health insurance premiums are lining these companies’ pockets

At least 85 large healthcare companies have been making an unusually high profit for the last two years, research by the Pointer, Reporter Radio and Follow the Money journalism platforms reveals. “Double digit profits are never necessary,” the Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport, Hugo de Jonge, says. 

10 percent profit margins reported

The research was derived from digitised annual accounts held by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. This information is public, and details information about companies involved in mental health care, care for the disabled, and home care. In the healthcare sector, profit rates of 2 to 3 percent are common. However, the data survey showed that at least 85 healthcare companies had achieved a profit margin of more than 10 percent for at least two years in a row.

Minister: “Money for care is meant for care.”

Minister de Jonge said in a statement that “there is nothing wrong with profit in itself”, but that in his opinion, it is not possible to give good care while also managing to make so much money. “Money for care is meant for care and must be only be spent on healthcare. Care is serving and not earning.”

Some companies have reported profit margins of over 50 percent.

Health insurance premiums have risen

On 18 September this year, the Dutch government presented its budget. What does that have to do with this? Well, the budget revealed that health insurance premiums were rising again, with most people expecting a 10 euro increase per month, on average. And although there are good reasons for this to happen, such as economic growth and an overestimation last year, seeing these huge profit margins calls into question where the money is going.

Two companies have 50 percent profit margins

The three journalistic platforms only looked at the 1,308 largest of the 3,798 healthcare institutions in total. Of these, seven companies have recorded profit percentages above 40 percent and two of them are even above 50 percent. Moreover, as some companies have not yet filed their financial figures for 2018, the final list of those with unusually high profit margins may end up being even higher.

“The current law is not enough to keep the rotten apples out of the basket. So we will adjust that,” says De Jonge.

What do you think about healthcare companies making big profits? How does it work in the country you’re from? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Pan American Health Organization/flickr. 

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