How will we travel to Zuidas in the future?

Primary schools, special education and day care centers will reopen from 11 May. This increase in freedom of movement automatically creates more demand for transport options. The slow start-up of these transport storms, on which we depended daily in large numbers until March, raises quite a few questions at this time.

Commuting
Now that the measures have eased somewhat, we are increasingly considering our future commuting. For now, the advice is to work from home as much as possible, where possible. But there will come a time when we may return to our offices, perhaps in phases. A majority of us use public transport for this. Do we keep doing that? Isn't the bicycle a better option? Or a shared car when the distance is greater?

Employer considerations
As an employee, you are not alone in the above choices. Employers are also currently asking themselves the question: how do we guarantee the safety of their employees in future commuting?

From A to Zuidas Webinars
Van A tot Zuidas organizes a series of webinars for these issues on 12, 13 and 14 May. The purpose of the webinars is to provide employers with concrete tools to make conscious policy choices in the way employees travel to Zuidas after the Corona crisis. You can sign up for these webinars here . Read here more about A to Zuidas.

Corona transport ladder
In several news articles you have recently seen a corona transport ladder. A list of desirable to unwanted options to move around during these times. Not transporting yourself (working from home) is the most desirable option on those lists. At the bottom of the lists is travel by public transport in the 2nd class. Public transport providers are currently working hard to guarantee everyone's safety in public transport.

GVB is adjusting its timetable
For example, from 29 April GVB has added more vehicles to its basic timetable. A necessary measure to continue to guarantee the 1.5-meter distance. The new timetable will be implemented in phases. For more information about the current timetable, visit the GVB website .

NS conducts practical tests
The NS is also looking for solutions to guarantee the 1.5-meter distance in the trains. Since last week, adapted double-deckers have been operating between Zwolle and Groningen, which have stickers and screens to ensure that there is sufficient distance between the travelers. These adjustments are part of the practical tests that NS conducts to determine which measures help travelers to maintain sufficient distance from each other. You can see here how the double-deckers were adapted in the first practical tests.

Alternatives
For shorter commuting distances, you might consider using the bicycle. You don't even need to own your own bike for that. There are many bicycle sharing systems on the market today that can provide you with a bicycle. Do you travel for work within Zuidas? Then consider the Hello Bike !

Are the commuting distances too great? Then using a shared / rental car is a good alternative. Providers of shared and rental cars in Zuidas have taken the necessary measures to make these means of transport as safe as possible at this time. Read more about it here .

Photo: Marcel Steinbach