The Clash to Zero

Battle over the highway (2039)

"Between Friday 25 and Sunday 27 May 2039, the Netherlands experienced the longest traffic jam ever. On Friday, all traffic in the Randstad came to a standstill. After a few hours, more than 4000 km of roads were gridlocked. Many people spent their entire weekend on the highway. This came about after a decade of increased traffic congestions and unbearable air pollution. People wore gas masks and those with breathing problems had to stay home, although the solution of car sharing was right around the corner. As the public grew tired of waiting for action from the government, a protest group of students named “ZERO-KMH” was established. They started with small protests spreading the message ‘we have to slow down to move forward’. After this proved unsuccessful, the group became more radical. Together with other protesters they caused the biggest disruption in traffic by driving against traffic on highways. Finally, their message was heard by policy makers from different levels of the government and resulted in an accelerated transition towards car sharing. Even more importantly, the mindset of both civil society and decision makers changed towards a greater emphasis on the well-being of future generations. The sign in front of you was taken by the group as a symbol of victory. They donated it to the museum to exhibit, in order to make sure that this day will not be forgotten.

Source: a gift from protest group ZERO-KMH in 2045.

Curated by: Sharné Bloem, Winnie de Jong, Romain Morin, & Ilse van der Werf."

Text from the Mobility Museum 2050