Dutch Grand Prix Raises the Bar for Sustainable Transportation

In 2022, 97% of the visitors during the Formula One Heineken Dutch Grand Prix used sustainable transportation to and from the CM.com Circuit Zandvoort. However, the organization is aiming even higher: 98% in 2023 and exclusively sustainable transportation by 2025.

With that 97%, the Dutch Grand Prix stands head and shoulders above the other Grand Prix events on the F1 calendar. The very first mobility plan led to smooth ingress and egress of visitors during the 2021 edition. Concerns about a car invasion in Zandvoort turned out to be unfounded. There is no traffic congestion during the Dutch Grand Prix. This year is no exception.

Coach transport
Many visitors come to Zandvoort by train. On race days, the Dutch Railways transports 10,000 passengers per hour. There is little till no room for expansion. Other sustainable transportation options frequently used include bicycles (either individually or in combination with Park & Bike locations at a distance from Zandvoort) and buses (public transport or hired). The latter is becoming an increasingly popular choice. Particularly, coach transportation is gaining traction. This year, there are 200 pickup points in the Netherlands, two just across the Belgian border, and four in Germany. Visitors are practically picked up from their homes by luxurious coaches, dropped off near the entrance of the CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, and taken back home after the event.

Key
Tailored transportation might be the ‘key’ to achieving those last few percentages, says Roy Hirs, mobility manager of the Dutch Grand Prix. “It might not seem like much, but one percent still translates to around 1100 people in absolute numbers.”

The marginal increase can be achieved through international visitors, guests, and officials from FOM (Formula One Management), invitees of the Paddock Club, over which the local organization has no authority, and media. Hirs notes, “They attend multiple Grand Prix events per year and are accustomed to using their private transportation. With them, we need to encourage a shift in mindset. It’s not that they’re resistant, they just need a nudge.”

Shuttle Service
What helps is offering sustainable options that make things even easier. For instance, providing a shuttle service from the hotels where they are staying, with the shuttles getting much closer to the entrance than the parking area where cars must be parked. The Kiss & Ride spot at the circuit’s entrance will be utilized even more for organized transportation this year.

Furthermore, the shuttle buses of the Dutch Grand Prix will be running on HVO fuel this year. Connexxion predominantly employs electric buses for public transportation.