Frequently asked questions

Traffic in and around Haarlem, right now. Every measured road has a colour: green flows, orange is busy, red is jammed. Next to the map (below it on a phone) you see the travel time on twelve routes many people in Haarlem drive: how long it takes now, and how long it normally takes.

The pulsing light on the map marks the worst bottleneck at this moment. The buttons at the top left switch on roadworks, buses and car parks.

A new measurement arrives every minute; the time of the latest one is shown at the top. The page refreshes itself. At night, when everything flows, it measures every five minutes.

Green: traffic flows. Orange: busy, at least 30% slower than normal. Red: jammed, at least 80% slower.

The pulsing light marks the worst bottleneck right now; click it and the map flies there. Under the map, “Key” explains the other symbols: an open bridge, an accident, roadworks, a bus, a car park.

The time a route takes when you can simply drive through, with no congestion. It comes from the same measurements as the current travel time. So you see at a glance what the traffic costs you: "13 min instead of 7".

A route counts as slower from 1 extra minute, and turns red from 4 extra minutes.

The gauge at the top sums up all of Haarlem in one reading, from green (everything flows) to red (gridlock). When the car drives at speed, it is quiet. When it stands still with its brake light on, Haarlem is jammed.

The reading comes from two things: on how many roads traffic is busy or jammed, and how much longer the twelve routes take than normal. More about the gauge.

Yes. Click the star next to a route and it stays at the top under “Your route”, also the next time you open the map. It is remembered on your own phone or computer; no account is needed and there are no cookies.

Yes. The “Share” button sends a link to the map, for example via WhatsApp. If you have chosen a route, its travel time goes with it: "Schalkwijk → centre: now 12 min instead of 5". Whoever clicks the link sees the situation at that moment.

Haarlem is being rebuilt in the coming years: the Spaarnepoort transport hub on the Schipholweg, the redesign of the Europaweg and the Prins Bernhardlaan, maintenance of bridges and railway lines. Some projects run until 2029. As long as that lasts, traffic is jammed at many moments of the day.

This map shows what that means in practice, minute by minute: how long a route takes now, and how long it normally takes.

Construction of the Spaarnepoort transport hub started in June 2026 and is planned to last until the summer of 2029. Traffic uses a temporary road, with one lane per direction at the Buitenrustbrug. From Thursday evening 8 to Monday morning 12 October 2026 the Schipholweg is fully closed between the Buitenrustbrug and the Europaweg.

The figures page shows how long each project still takes.

Switch on roadworks and closures with the traffic-cone button at the top left of the map. Click a spot to see what is happening and until when. The figures page shows when each big project is done.

Times can still change; the road authority has the latest word.

In the morning and evening rush hours. The figures page shows per day and per hour when traffic is usually jammed, and which streets were jammed the longest in the past week. In the evening the map shows what to expect in tomorrow morning's rush hour.

Look at the gauge and at your route. If it says "7 min, as normal", go. If your route is red, waiting a while or taking another road is often faster. In the evening the map shows the forecast for tomorrow morning's rush hour, based on the measurements of recent weeks.

The map shows which bridge is open now, since when, how often it opened today and when the next opening is expected. An open bridge also appears at the top of the route list, with what it means for your route.

From 14 May to 31 October most bridges do not open during weekday rush hours: from 7:15 to 9:00 and from 16:30 to 18:30.

Switch on the car parks with the blue P button at the top left of the map. Each car park shows how many spaces are free; the city of Haarlem reports that every five minutes.

The bus button shows the buses that are more than three minutes late, where they are right now. If a whole train connection is out, for example to Zandvoort, you'll see it in a strip under the top bar: many people take the car then.

Rain and ice make the roads busier. Next to the weather you see the air quality, on a scale of 1 to 11. Point at it for the substances measured. During school holidays it is usually quieter; the forecast takes that into account.

The measurements are refreshed every minute. Still, things can go wrong now and then: a measuring point that briefly reports nothing, or a road without a colour. Seen something that is not right? Let us know. No rights can be derived from the figures.

Yes, please do. The figures are licensed under CC BY 4.0: free to use, also by the press and researchers, as long as you credit "How busy is Haarlem?" as the source. On the figures page you can download all measurements per quarter of an hour as a file for Excel, and make an image of the week to share.

Someone from Haarlem who sits in that traffic too. There is no company, no advertising, no cookies and no political message behind it. The site is free. Read more about this map.

Yes. On a phone the map is at the top and the route list below it; “Enlarge map” fills the whole screen. Add the site to your home screen (in the browser: “Add to Home Screen”) and it opens like an app, without an address bar.