Through an active community, help keep this beautiful profession vital in a demanding time!

KIVI Section Traffic and Transport reflects on the traffic engineering profession in the future. What does he or she do, what can he or she do, what was the training like and... who still wants to do it? Who will follow in the footsteps of Cuperus, Ploeger, Vahl or Gehl (to name but a few)? Does a traffic engineer solve a social problem or is it a technician who keeps a system in order?

The Netherlands has a rich tradition of designing land. From monastic work with the first mounds to hydraulic engineering.

With poldering, we increased our country's food production. The construction of waterways, railways, roads and airways was decisive for the development of the economy and thus welfare and prosperity. We built new villages and cities. Especially in cities, traffic engineers had a role. Separate traffic systems had to make traffic safer, public transport and cycling had to keep the city livable.

There was a period when space was made for cars and there were periods when the car was diverted around the city to keep the city liveable and promote traffic flow. In bicycle streets and woonerven, the Netherlands is an international leader. The traffic engineering task still stands: in a healthy city, people move around in clean air. But who designs that, decides on it or maintains it? A technician, an administrative expert, a specialist or just a generalist? And who makes sense of it?

The board of the Traffic and Transport Department has published a pamphlet in Traffic Science. Action is needed:

1) To provide a clear profile of traffic engineering and a traffic expert;

2) To strengthen Training and Knowledge offerings;

3) To improve Organisation and Labour Market;

4) To strengthen communication and image.

To this end, let us join forces. Please make your response known via the email address below : afdelingvv@kivi.nl

Through an active community, help keep this beautiful profession vital in a demanding time!