Pilot Low-traffic Wyck

The pilot applies to the section of Wycker Brugstraat between Sint Servaasbrug and Lage Barakken. This street intersects with 2 other streets: Rechtstraat and Wycker Grachtstraat. Cars and motorbikes may still cross Wycker Brugstraat from these side streets.

You will not be allowed to drive into or park on Wycker Brugstraat:

• Monday to Friday: from 18:00 in the evening until 07:00 the following morning
• from Saturday 18:00 until Monday 07:00. This means that Sunday will be entirely low-traffic.

This part of the pilot applies to:

• cars, taxis, motorbikes and vans. They are not allowed to enter Wycker Brugstraat or park there during the pilot.
• cyclists, mopeds, scooters and small vehicles without a licence plate. They may still use Wycker Brugstraat when it is closed for cars.
• emergency services. They must always be able to enter the area with their vehicles. This includes the ambulance, police, fire brigade and municipal enforcement.

In 2023, we asked business owners and residents in Wyck for their opinion through a detailed questionnaire. Members of the Maastricht residents’ panel also took part, as well as several interest groups such as the Wyck neighbourhood platform and Ondernemend Wyck. Many people wanted to think along actively: no fewer than 228 people signed up for the working group.

In 2024, a working group was formed from all the people who signed up. It consisted of 12 residents and 4 business owners from Wyck, plus 2 representatives from Ondernemend Wyck and 2 from the Wyck neighbourhood platform. The residents and business owners were chosen at random from the list of people who signed up. We also made sure there was a fair balance between the two groups.

In 2024, we carried out research on how people from Maastricht visit Wyck, to get a better understanding of the visitors to Wyck.

The working group submitted a report to the municipal executive with recommendations on how the pilot scheme should be designed. It covered matters such as the proposed hours, the area, loading and unloading, and how the newly available space should be used.

On Wednesday evening, 4 December 2024, we held a walk-in evening for everyone at The Masters in Wyck. People from the working group, the municipality and the traffic office explained the steps that have been taken and the choices that were made.

The working group’s advice on how to set up the pilot was sent to the municipal executive and the municipal council. This advice was then further developed in 4 smaller working groups:

• working group on loading, unloading and time windows
• working group on evaluation criteria and control options
• working group on using the freed-up space and the street closure
• working group on accessibility in Wyck

In these smaller working groups, residents, business owners, people from interest groups such as Ondernemend Wyck and the Wyck neighbourhood platform, and civil servants worked together to think about how to carry out the pilot. They discussed how the rules can work in daily practice, what the costs are, and how we can make sure everyone follows the rules. They also looked at access for emergency services, how to use the freed-up space, and how we can stop or change the pilot if needed. Finally, they made agreements about how we will communicate about all this.

On Thursday evening, 13 November 2025, there was a walk-in evening for everyone at Hotel de L’Empereur. Members of the working group and the municipality presented the further details of the choices that had been made. There was information about:

• the measures for cars and motorbikes
• the measures for loading and unloading
• the criteria used to assess the pilot
• communication
• enforcement of the rules

April

• 23 March to 6 April: traffic count using cameras at the Wycker Brugstraat/Rechtstraat and Wycker Brugstraat/Wycker Grachtstraat junctions
• 23 March to 17 April: camera monitoring of loading and unloading in side streets
• 23 April: evaluation with the working group

May

• 6 May: meeting about how to use the newly available space in Wycker Brugstraat
• 28 May: evaluation with the working group

June

• Parking pressure survey in the side streets of Wycker Brugstraat
• 25 June: evaluation with the working group

July

• No evaluation with the working group

August

• No evaluation with the working group

September

• Liveability surveys among residents, business owners and visitors
• 10 September: evaluation with the working group
• 21 September – 5 October: traffic count using cameras at the junctions mentioned above

October

• Evaluation with the working group
• 21 September – 5 October: traffic count using cameras at the junctions mentioned above

November

• Parking pressure survey
• Camera monitoring of loading and unloading in side streets
• Evaluation with the working group

December

• Evaluation with the working group
• Final evaluation of the pilot

The working group advised that the pilot should last for 1 year. They also said that it should be possible to change the rules during the pilot. That is why the working group advised to have two “control buttons” that can be used during the pilot: a stop button and a speed-up button.

• The stop button: in some cases, the working group can advise to stop (part of) the pilot earlier. For example, if the situation becomes unsafe.
• The speed-up button: the working group can also advise to reduce or expand measures during the pilot. If the results are good, we can close a larger area or extend the closure times.

At certain times, the pilot will create temporary empty parking spaces. We can use this space to place things that make Wycker Brugstraat more attractive. For example, flower boxes or pop-up terraces. These elements must be easy to move so that parking is possible again from 07:00 onwards.

Everything is done according to the existing rules. Together with the working group and local business owners, we decided to leave some parking spaces empty at first to give more space to pedestrians. After a few months, we will look again to see if there is a need to use these spaces in another way.

Separate from the pilot, we are turning some car parking spaces in Wyck into bicycle parking spaces. This is not temporary but a permanent change. In this way, we can meet the high demand for more bicycle parking. We choose the locations in consultation with the people involved.

The Rechtstraat, Wycker Grachtstraat and Lage Barakken cross Wycker Brugstraat. At these points, cars and other vehicles may always cross Wycker Brugstraat. Because many pedestrians cross here, it is important that this can happen safely.

That is why new crosswalks will be added in these side streets. This way, pedestrians can cross safely and continue walking easily, even when there is traffic. This makes the area safer and more pleasant for everyone who walks through Wyck.

If you need an exemption, for example because you are moving or renovating, you can contact the municipality at ontheffingen [at] maastricht.nl (ontheffingen[at]maastricht[dot]nl).

You can apply for an exemption in different situations. This does not only apply to moving or renovation work, but also to loading and unloading. For example, you may need an exemption if you want to enter the area outside the fixed loading and unloading times to load or unload goods at a home or business. You can find more information on the municipal web page about long-term RVV exemptions.

Yes, you can:

• Do you live in Wyck inside the ring roads? Then you will receive a questionnaire in your mailbox before and during the pilot. You can also share your views as a resident with the Wyck neighbourhood platform or RechtstraatSamen.
• Are you a business owner in Wyck inside the ring roads? Then you will also receive a questionnaire in your mailbox before and during the pilot. You can also share your views with Ondernemend Wyck or Centrummanagement Maastricht.
• You can always share your opinion by emailing autoluwwyck [at] maastricht.nl (autoluwwyck[at]maastricht[dot]nl)

The measures will become permanent if the pilot gives the results we want. Together with the working group, we set (measurable) requirements to decide when this is the case. We look at:

• the amount of traffic
• traffic safety and the number of traffic violations
• parking pressure in nearby streets
• the turnover of business owners
• quality of life.

We monitor these results throughout the year. During the year, the partners involved will meet regularly to discuss how things are going and to share their experiences.

During and after the pilot, we will look at whether the measures made Wyck safer and more pleasant. Members of the working group set the requirements for this. Based on measurements, questionnaires, experiences and feedback, we will decide whether the measures from the pilot will become permanent.

We think it is very important to keep the city clean. That is why vehicles used for waste collection and for cleaning and maintaining the city are exempt from the pilot rules. This means we can keep your street and the neighbourhood clean.

Wyck has several car parks. During the low-traffic hours, visitors can drive to these car parks. The most commonly used navigation systems, such as Waze, Google Maps, TomTom and Apple Maps, have been updated and will guide visitors to the right place.

Temporary elements have been placed along the walking routes from the car parks to the city centre. These show that Wyck is only a few minutes away on foot. They also show that Wyck is a place for art, culture, restaurants and shops.

The staggered blocks used in these elements refer to ‘De Wiekeneer’, the sculpture on the corner of Wycker Brugstraat and Lage Barakken.

Normally, many traffic signs are needed to make an area low-traffic. To make the traffic rules clearer, 2 ‘traffic lights’ have been installed.

At the junction of Lage Barakken and Wycker Brugstraat, there is a traffic light for cars. The red and green light show whether you are allowed to enter the street and whether you are allowed to load and unload. For cyclists, this light is always green.

There is also a traffic light at the Sint Servaas Bridge. This light is for cyclists. It flashes amber during the low-traffic hours. This reminds cyclists to take pedestrians into account.