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What the Report Is About
The report focuses on improving public transport in the western part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region (MRA), which currently lacks a high-quality rail connection. Due to expected growth in housing, population, and economic activity, demand for public transport will increase significantly. The chosen solution is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network, locally called Metrobus, which can be implemented in phases and offers flexibility and cost efficiency.
Why Flowmapper Was Used
Traditional stop-to-stop data does not provide enough detail to identify where delays and reliability issues occur, especially on long stretches of road. To solve this, the Swedish-developed Flowmapper dashboard was adapted for Dutch bus GPS data. Flowmapper allows analysis at 25-meter segment level, showing average speeds, travel time variability (reliability), and delay patterns by hour, day, and week.
Key Findings
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Major bottlenecks were identified on the A9/N205 corridor: Raasdorp entry and exit ramps, Rottepolderplein merge, and lane narrowing on N205.
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Evening peak (toward Haarlem) and morning peak (toward Amsterdam) cause the most delays.
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At fuel stations on N205, buses experience significant delays westbound (toward Haarlem), while eastbound traffic is mostly unaffected.
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Flowmapper enables precise baseline and impact measurements for pilots and helps prioritize cost-effective measures.
On average, buses lose between 40 and 90 seconds along this corridor. Time is crucial for a BRT system designed to compete with private car travel.
Conclusion
Flowmapper solves the data gap by providing detailed insights into delays and reliability at the segment level. This allows better planning and prioritisation of measures, accurate evaluation of pilot projects, and improved decision-making for the future Metrobus network. The tool also offers additional potential for optimising timetables, routes, and operations, which can be explored in future phases.
