Back to 130 on the highway: here’s where it’s allowed again

2020

Since March 2020, a speed limit of 100 km/h has been in effect on the highway during the day. That measure was introduced to reduce nitrogen emissions. Now this is partially reversed on some sections. According to Rijkswaterstaat, this concerns 117 kilometers of highway where you can drive 130 during the day again. To compare: the total Dutch highway network is 2,471 kilometers long. So this is only a small part.

Where can you go faster again?

On the Afsluitdijk you are allowed to drive 130 km/h again as of today. On the A7 between Winschoten and the German border and on the A6 between Lelystad and the Ketelbrug you will soon be allowed to drive faster again. But please be patient: the new traffic signs have to be placed there first. Only when they are there, the higher speed officially applies.

Drenthe

Minister Barry Madlener (Infrastructure) wants to look at where else traffic can go a little faster. “We are taking a closer look at more sections,” he says. A fourth highway – the A37 in Drenthe – is already planned. Before the summer, the speed should be able to go up there, too.

But not everywhere is so simple. The minister warns that a nationwide increase in the speed limit is out of the question for now. Nitrogen, noise and the proximity of vulnerable natural areas remain difficult obstacles. Therefore, the minister chooses a step-by-step approach: first the sections where the risks are small.

Also read: A12 becomes problem road in May and August 2025