Robbert Lohmann, Chief Operations Officer, 2getthere

Sharing of transit is crucial to improve the sustainability and liveability of a city.

The Team

Commissioned by The Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA), a multidisciplinary team consisting of UNStudio (architects/urban designers), Goudappel Coffeng (mobility consultants), Geophy (data specialists) and 2getthere (innovative mobility systems developers) has collaborated on a study that examines the future potential of the integration of infrastructure and city development around the area of Amsterdam’s A10 ring road and the Lelylaan area. Part of this are the Amsterdam Driverless Vehicles.

The Study

Currently the A10 ring road in Amsterdam forms a barrier that inhibits the connection between the inner and outer parts of the city and renders its immediate surroundings both uninhabitable and unused. As population growth has propelled development further outward from the city center and along the ring road, an opportunity was identified to integrate the highway and the city in a way that generates new forms of living and improves mobility for future inhabitants.

The result of the study formulates solutions that reconcile the disparate nature of the highway and the city through the injection of new programs and amenities, alongside improved accessibility, to make the A10 and its surrounding neighborhoods a desirable destination with a positive presence in the city.

Envisioning how future mobility and urban development can be successfully integrated requires a new toolbox with which the building blocks of the city of tomorrow can be built. The goal of the proposal is twofold: a proposition for a new multimodal transport hub located on the intersection between Cornelis Lelyaan and the A10, and new urban developments on both sides of the A10 that link the adjacent neighborhoods and create a unique new address in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Driverless Vehicles

The Hub, a new mixed-use destination, offers a smooth mobility connection that will allow users to transition between private cars and public transport; from cars which run on petrol to electric mobility; from driving to walking and cycling. Offering parking, restaurants and retail, the Hub also includes a stop for the CityPods, a new alternative to mass-public transport. 2getthere’s Amsterdam Driverless Vehicles provide mobility to the city center of Amsterdam in approximately 10 minutes. Through a redesign of the spatial planning, the system can operate using the current roads. The Hub also features a charging station for electric mobility and, through the use of locally stored car batteries, will function as an energy supply center in peak hours for the surrounding neighborhoods.

‘Sharing of transit is crucial to improve the sustainability and liveability of a city. Shared use, electrification and autonomous operation are converging trends, with the benefits of one becoming synonymous with the others. Shared transit, or public transit if you will, is a requirement to reduce the number of vehicles in an area.’, states Robbert Lohmann, COO 2getthere. In the case of the Amsterdam Lelylaan, the system can transport 1000 persons per hour per direction, with one vehicle departing approximately every 75 seconds.

Conclusions

In addition to the development of the Hub and the connecting transit systems, the study has also considered the main highway A10, introducing flexibility in the flexibility in the direction of travel of the lanes. This also allows to use the existing space smarter depending on the time of day. By introducing housing and offices close to the ring, the A10 will no longer be a barrier between the city center and its suburbs. The Hub is in the middle of all this, with all modalities converging and allowing for easy transfers, amongst other to the Amsterdam driverless vehicles of 2getthere.