# Drivers asked to slow down at roadworks in new campaign

> Bouwend Nederland has launched a national campaign against aggression towards road workers, as it expects more roadworks disruption in the coming years.

Society · published 2026-10-27 05:18 · https://nlnow.nl/a/road-workers-campaign-asks-drivers-to-slow-down-at-roadworks/

Bouwend Nederland is launching a national awareness campaign called 'Schakel je even terug?' ('Will you shift down for a moment?'). It urges road users to slow down at roadworks and to show more respect and understanding for road workers.

The organisation says the Netherlands is on the eve of a major maintenance round, so traffic disruption from roadworks will only increase in the coming years. Willem van Biljouw, chair of the organisation's committee on employee matters in the asphalt sector (commissie Mens), says much of the infrastructure dates from the 1960s and is due for maintenance.

Van Biljouw says reports of aggression towards road workers come in regularly, including from the province of Utrecht. "Drivers who drive through barriers, furious tirades and, in extreme cases, empty alcohol bottles have occasionally been thrown," he says.

The campaign targets three types of road user: the 'stresskip' (stressed driver), the 'wijsneus' (know-it-all) and the 'automatische piloot' (autopilot). Van Biljouw says all three are quick to argue with road workers. Parents, for example, sometimes drive straight through a work zone next to a school to drop off their child.

"It is a direct appeal to drivers to understand what we do and why," Van Biljouw says. "Give our road workers room to do their work safely, and we will finish sooner and the quality will be good too." He points to the closure of the A2, when drivers looking for shortcuts left all of Nieuwegein gridlocked.

## Background

- **Bouwend Nederland**: Bouwend Nederland is the Dutch employers' organisation for companies in the construction and infrastructure sector, including builders, civil engineering firms and road contractors. It represents these businesses to the government and other parties, and it negotiates on their behalf. Its campaigns, such as safety and roadworks awareness initiatives, are aimed at road users and the wider public.

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