Minister: Statutory protection for “motorway panoramas”

Environment Minister Jacqueline Cramer is introducing statutory protection for nine “motorway panoramas.” Her proposal is intended to guarantee that drivers can enjoy the scenery.

The proposal appears in the draft version of the report ‘View of Beautiful Netherlands’ (Zicht op Mooi Nederland). It is important that there is something beautiful to see along motorways “because research has confirmed that greenery and space in the general sense are calming and contribute to recovery from stress,” according to the report.

Nine ‘motorway panoramas’ are so characteristic and valuable for the Netherlands that they deserve extra protection. They must not be hidden from sight behind “an untidy collection of concrete noise screens, houses and office colossuses,” according to Cramer.

The environment civil servants have ranked the nine motorway stretches by ‘viewing pleasure’. The loveliest is the panorama along the A7, which provides some “150 seconds of viewing pleasure” for those driving by at the maximum permissible speed.

It is unclear whether the viewing time took account of the time the driver has to pay attention to the road itself. What is certain is the ministry took no account of tailbacks in calculating the number of viewing seconds - the pleasure would then last longer.

The Labour (PvdA) minister’s proposal will be presented to the Lower House shortly. How much the protection of these motorway panoramas will cost is not known.

Source: NIS News, 20 August 2008