Katja Hunfeld, head of the UT Language Centre, lives in Gildehaus, Germany. Every day she drives the route between her hometown and the UT. Hunfeld expects more traffic problems and congestion if the Netherlands also introduces border controls. 'If these checks are actually put in place, alternative routes will become even busier. They are getting busier by the day. When I hear on the radio that the A1 is completely busy, I immediately settled for less. Freight traffic is also increasingly taking shortcuts and crossing the border in this way. I have to leave home much earlier to be at the UT on time. As long as I find an old smuggling route, I'll be fine. If there is a lot of hassle in the future, working from home is still an option,' says Hunfeld.
Miranda Huiskes-Borghuis – key user of Osiris at the BMS faculty – also lives in Gildehaus. She is not immediately very concerned and foresees little inconvenience if the Netherlands implements border controls. 'No, I don't expect any major problems right away. I have a few roads up my sleeve that I can take. Working from home is not an option for me, so I have to hit the road anyway.'
Extra travel time
The current border controls are already causing several inconveniences. Master's student of psychology Sara von Pruski (24) knows all about it. The extra travel time causes problems in her schedule. 'I live and work in Nordhorn, Germany. I try to avoid rush hours as often as possible. My travel time used to be forty minutes, but that has now increased to an hour. At the beginning of the introduction, it was even longer.'
When Von Pruski's lectures are over, she regularly has to rush to Nordhorn for her work. 'I start at six o'clock in the evening, but then the question is whether I will make it and be there on time. It is not always possible to eat before that. So the border controls make it difficult to plan my working hours properly," says Von Pruski. 'I think it's annoying when the Netherlands also implements border controls. Still, I understand why it's happening.'
Fatal accidents
Hunfeld and Huiskes-Borghuis experienced dangerous problems when border controls were introduced on their route. ‘It's misery on the highway. It is sad that two fatal accidents occurred on the A1 in a short period of time. The checks continuously result in traffic jams, because everyone is being taken off the highway. Then, every motorist in the parking lot is checked. That includes the trucks,' says Huiskes-Borghuis.
Hunfeld shares the same experience. 'Due to the lack of organisation during the inspections, serious accidents occur. The A1 motorway is regularly blocked and all traffic in the direction of De Lutte is then diverted en masse. Because of the truck traffic, there was no way through. Small pieces that normally took me five minutes to get home sometimes turned into an hour and a half. To avoid these problems, I drive a different route. The disadvantage is that other drivers are more likely to discover these roads,' says Hunfeld.
Miscommunication
According to the UT staff, the problems that arise mainly stem from the lack of organization and miscommunication between the police and the motorists. Like Hunfeld and Huiskes-Borghuis, Von Pruski experienced this. ‘A while back, I was led to the parking lot for a check-up. The signs and signals are often unclear. You will then have to deal with miscommunication. For example, I didn't know - after signs from the police - that I was allowed to drive away. As a result, I stayed in that parking lot for a while. It's unclear what you should do sometimes.'
The master's student expects the problems to increase if the Netherlands also carries out inspections. She thinks that her compatriots are not yet aware of the plan in the Netherlands. 'I don't think many Germans know this yet. In any case, they will soon be confronted with it, because the police are everywhere. I may still be able to travel via Losser, but I expect that every road will soon be checked.'
Why are there border controls?
The Netherlands will introduce border controls against illegal migration and human smuggling as of December 9. Tasks of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee carries out the checks, but it is unclear how intensively this will be done. Germany has been carrying out controls for some time and previously decided to extend the current controls for a year.
