In Geneva, Switzerland, half of the traffic signs at zebra crossings are going to be replaced by ones with a female figure. Whilst this has received a lot of press and has been met with enthusiasm in other cities around the world, it doesn’t look like the Netherlands will be following suit.
Recently, a PvdA council member in Eindhoven came up with a plan to put female figures on traffic signs. However, it’s not up to municipalities – they can’t design their own road signs, only the government can do that. Minister for Transport Cora van Nieuwenhuizen shows little enthusiasm for changing the figures. “It should be clear that the figure is a person, that is clear on the signs as they are now and that is what is important”, she says.
Knowledge platform for infrastructure and traffic CROW has a directive and advises sticking to the plain symbols as they are. Van Nieuwenhuizen agrees, “Uniformity and recognisability are important for road safety. Having different signs is thus not a good idea.”