The Hague council has submitted the preliminary design for the redevelopment of Hobbemaplein and its surroundings to the council. This square, located between Schilderswijk and Transvaal, will become a central meeting point that will be safer and more attractive for residents, visitors and entrepreneurs. With the redevelopment, the municipality wants to improve the flow of traffic, liveability, traffic safety and quality of stay. The plans are in line with the Hague Agreement and the municipal Mobility Transition 2022-2040.
What will change?
A new, accessible tram with a low entry is coming to tram line 6. This will allow elderly people, people in wheelchairs or with a pushchair to easily enter the tram. It will also allow more passengers per trip. Tram line 6 is one of the busiest tram lines in The Hague. For the arrival of the more spacious and longer tram, the tram stop on Hobbemaplein will have to be moved. At the same time, this will offer the opportunity to redesign Hobbemaplein and the surrounding area.
Hobbemaplein is currently a busy traffic square, but in the future it will be more focused on pedestrians and cyclists. Through traffic will be reduced, and the traffic structure will be simplified, making the square more organized and safer. Pedestrians and cyclists will have more space, which will improve traffic safety. The square will have more trees and greenery to combat heat stress and improve the quality of stay. This will attract more visitors to the Haagse Markt and the surrounding shopping streets.
Traffic situation and road safety
The current traffic situation around Hobbemaplein is confusing and dangerous, resulting in many traffic accidents. To address this, the infrastructure is being adjusted. By adjusting the complex intersections and diverting through traffic without a destination in the district, the accessibility of the Haagse Markt is also being improved.
” The redevelopment of Hobbemaplein is an important step towards a safer and more attractive part of the city. The square will not only become greener and more accessible, but also clearer and safer for pedestrians and cyclists. This is in line with our ambition to keep The Hague liveable for everyone ,” says alderman Arjen Kapteijns.
Participation
The preliminary design of the redevelopment was created after an extensive participation process with residents, entrepreneurs and stakeholders. A number of important suggestions have been incorporated into the design. For example, extra attention has been paid to sufficiently wide pavements and loading and unloading facilities, especially on the side of the Haagse Markt, and more greenery will be added to the square. The bicycle facilities have also been improved based on input from the neighbourhood. The first draft design has also been significantly adjusted in response to the concerns of entrepreneurs in particular. A right-turn connection from Heemstraat – Hobbemastraat has been included, so that it is possible to drive into Hobbemastraat from Heemstraat. The redevelopment responds to the needs of the neighbourhood and ensures a better balance between traffic flow, traffic safety and liveability.
The board would first like to express its appreciation for the design of the business council Haags Veen. However, the design does not sufficiently take into account the rules and requirements for a good traffic design. As a result, the design cannot be properly incorporated. In an attempt to solve this, the business council has adjusted the original plan by moving the tram stop to the library. However, even with this change, the plan remains unfeasible: the bus stops are still too small for the larger HTM buses, there are no safe crossings, the cycle paths and lanes are too narrow, and there are no places where cars can wait to turn off.
With the redevelopment of Hobbemaplein, the municipality of The Hague wants to create a lively and future-proof square where people like to live, work, shop and stay.
More information (in Dutch)
