West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen is one of the last quiet regions in very densely populated Western Europe. West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen is situated right in the middle of a region inhabited by fifty million people, 70 % of Europeans. The metropolitan cities London and Paris, the Randstad and the Ruhr region all lie within a radius of 300 kilometres, half a day’s travel. In a second neighbouring agglomeration strip, closer by, at less than an hour’s drive, you can find the cities of Rotterdam, Breda, Antwerp, Ghent and Lille. Within the European context, West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen makes for a green and blue oasis in a densely populated region.

West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen has a population of 24,500 and a surface of 30,000 ha.

West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen has a great attraction as a recreation region for the people living in the above-mentioned agglomerations, with all the consequences this may entail. The entrepreneurs and the administration of West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen anticipate these trends in time by developing a region-oriented approach.

West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen will go through large-scale changes in the coming years. Reacting to these changes in time, makes it possible to seize opportunities and to ward off threats, to make sure that the region can develop into a sustainable, liveable and economically well-off society. Tourism and recreation are the main sources of income and employment for West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen.

The region is one of the oldest man-made landscapes of The Netherlands. It is a special region with an identity of its own, because its genesis is highly diversified. Near Aardenburg, for instance, you can find surface sand ridges that have a long history of occupation. In the rest of the region, one can discern impoldering structures from different periods. Dyke patterns show how places like Cadzand and Groede, which once used to be islands, finally became a part of the mainland through the various stages of reclaiming land from the sea. The region is furthermore criss-crossed with channels, creeks and military defence lines from different periods.

In addition to the region’s own identity, a proper infrastructural opening-up of the region is important for the development of recreation and tourism, which are the motor of the economy in West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen.

When opening up the region, the main concern is the mobility from and to the coast and the mobility within the entire coastal region. The North Sea coast is visited more intensively than the Westerschelde coast. The opening-up structure is geared towards this fact via a so-called “wave system”. This means specificly that the main opening-up is done along the provincial road which runs parallel to the coast approximately 5 km inland. A number of opening-up roads run diagonally to the main opening-up to the coast from the main opening-up road.

A number of bottlenecks is signalled in the current mobility network. One of the important bottlenecks is the Zeeweg. This is the road that runs directly along the coast and it is subject to high traffic loads, in terms of both the number of vehicles and the various means of transport (buses, cars, rural traffic, cyclists, etc.).

The aim of the elaboration of this project is to improve the opening-up structure of the region linking up with the ‘wave system’. The improvement of the opening-up structure can be split up into a number of parts. First of all it is necessary to increase safety by reducing the traffic load on the opening-up stretch directly along the coast. This can be achieved by separating fast and slow traffic.

Secondly, the environment may benefit from pushing back car mobility. By offering a proper alternative for the car, the coast can remain accessible in a sustained manner. In doing so, the region hooks up with the policy pursued by the municipality of Sluis to broaden the coastal strip in the future, so that the coast line acquires a more solid and natural character.

In this project we aim to let the opening-up structure of the region end up in a number of park & rides along the coast. A park & ride can be described as a traffic node where different traffic modes meet. This allows passengers to switch from one mode to another appropriate mode of transport, depending on the traveldistance. In West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen, the park & rides will primarily target the tourist and recreational target group, considering that the region, and the coast in particular, have a great attraction for tourism and recreation.

In view of the wave structure in the region, as it has been developed within the framework of the ‘Duurzaam Veilig’ (Safe in a Sustainable Manner) policy, this means that a park & ride will be developed at the end of each “wave”. From the park & ride, tourists, holiday-makers and local residents can leave their cars and opt for more environment-friendly transport mode. In addition, a number of convenient provisions are offered together with the park & ride. A park & ride will be developed within the framework of this project at three locations, i.e. near Sluis, Cadzand and Groede. Depending on the specific situation, each park & ride will be emphasised differently. The park & rides will thus distinguish themselves from one another and a distinctive character that blends in with the surroundings is created.

The coast is an important tourist attraction in Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen. It has to cope with dense car traffic because the major part of visitors arrive by car. The park & rides in Sluis, Cadzand and Groede are developed to “entice” the tourists to leave their cars behind and to use other means of transport. This is how we try to steer the traffic flows in the right direction by developing park & rides.

In order to entice the motorist to use the park & ride, we bank on a number of tracks. First of all, an attractive form of transport is offered to open up the coastal strip. In addition to functionality, the perception value of the transport mode takes centre stage. It has to be a pleasant experience for the visitor that fits the purpose of his visit. Secondly, the organisation of the park & ride must be sufficiently tailored to the target group (primarily holiday-makers for a day). The visitor should have the possibility to enjoy the recreational activities he wants in the immediate surroundings of the park & ride. In addition to a sufficient number of parking spaces, the range of provisions that are available is also very important.

Compared to the park & rides surrounding urban agglomerations, the park & rides in West Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen bear more the character of a final destination than that of an interchange. In our region, the park & ride serves most of all to accommodate car traffic. When the motorists use them, they do not cause any inconvenience directly along the vulnerable coast line, and from the park & rides the visitors can explore the region by foot, by bike or with public transport.

The project approach takes the adjacent policy pursued in the region into consideration. The success of the park & rides depends also on a proper rapport with other relevant regional and local policies. This means more specificly that one needs to take into account the implementation path of the ‘Duurzaam Veilig” (Safe in a Sustainable Manner) policy, which aims to close off sections of the Zeeweg to cars, when putting the project into practice. The opening-up of the coast along the Zeeweg shall further be given shape via public transport. By discouraging traffic along the Zeeweg, but offering at the same time a proper alternative in the guise of park & rides from where alternative transport modes are offered, the effect is reinforced.

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Under construction