Walking or Cycling in the Netherlands whilst texting or calling is generally not a good idea. In order to discourage this behaviour the municipality of Amsterdam, GVB and Vervoerregio Amsterdam have started the Superbelangrijk campaign.
The number of accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians is on the rise. In December 2017, the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, announced that she was working on a legislative proposal to ban texting whilst cycling. This ban is likely to be put in place in 2020.
Rather than wait for the ban to be finalised, Amsterdam has decided to start up a campaign called Superbelangrijk (super important) to warn cyclists and pedestrians of the dangers of cycling or walking whilst texting or calling.
The anti-texting and calling campaign was kicked off on Friday, January 19, in the Vondelpark. The campaign is aimed at 16 to 30 year olds, as this group pays the least attention to the risks involved, for themselves and others, when using their phones during cycling and walking, according to the Institute for Road Safety Research Netherlands (SWOV).
The goal of the campaign is to create awareness of the dangers to yourself and others when you get distracted by your phone. “The message is clear; that super important text can wait”, Traffic and Transport Alderman, Pieter Litjens said.
Posters and billboards have been put up around the city of Amsterdam, showing images of recognisable situations to warn those on the road. The campaign will appear in schools and from Monday, January 22 onwards, the campaign will also be featured on the outside of a tram. Take a look at the campaign video:
For more information visit the Superbelangrijk website (in Dutch)