A day with… Peter van Dop

Peter van Dop saw hundreds of job openings during his career scan. In the first round of selection, he was tasked with scanning only the headlines, but in the second round, he had to read his favourites thoroughly. From the 20 ‘winning’ vacancies identified during that scan – done 5 years ago now – a clear ambition emerged: to work internationally.

In his spare time, Peter has had an international outlook for many years. ‘I’m a publisher of war games,’ he says. ‘Under the name BelloLudi, I write rules for war games with miniatures. Every year, I sell several hundred copies, mainly in English, as the buyers are mainly from abroad. War games are most popular in the US and England.’

National coordinator

He also crosses borders in his work these days. Peter has been working at Rijkswaterstaat for over 20 years, and the career scan did not change that. However, for several years now, in addition to his role as road traffic management advisor, he has also been the national coordinator of Meridian: a European project that aims to improve the flow, safety, and sustainability of (international) road traffic. To this end, highway authorities in all participating countries, subsidised by the EU, are looking for domestic projects that can increase knowledge on one of these themes.

Peter linked several Rijkswaterstaat projects to Meridian. From updating software in traffic control centres to promoting in-car warnings in case of traffic jams or special circumstances. He also handles communication between all parties to ensure that projects are supervised as effectively as possible, and also to share the lessons learned with partners within Meridian. ‘Because the ultimate goal is to disseminate ideas and knowledge.’

A glimpse of the Brenner Pass

Twice a year, representatives from the Meridian countries meet for a steering committee to keep each other informed of ongoing projects. ‘Interesting and enjoyable,’ says Peter. ‘This usually includes a visit to a location. Last time, for example, we were given a tour of the Italian traffic control centre at the Brenner Pass. A visit like that generates useful ideas and contacts.’

Peter is also increasingly discovering how much of an international presence Rijkswaterstaat already has in all of its work. ‘Take DATEX II, for example, the standard we use to record and exchange traffic data. That’s a European standard. And recently, I had a discussion with a traffic controller. He claimed that his work was not international. A moment later, something happens on the road, and he immediately calls the control centre in Leverkusen.’

However, Meridian’s national coordination role gives him something extra. ‘At Rijkswaterstaat, I always felt that I was working on something bigger than myself, which I really like. Going international has made it even bigger. The topics that Europe is currently working on together will be common knowledge in about 10 years’ time. Whether that relates to self-driving cars or reports of incidents on the road. I am at the forefront of developments here.’

Interested in working on international projects at Rijkswaterstaat? Discover vacancies here.