Road users' organisations have collected about 10,000 signatures under a petition to complete the A4 motorway between Delft and Schiedam, road shipping association EVO told the ANP agency.

For many years the motorway has been prone to traffic jams, to the chagrin of the transport sector. The road, which links Amsterdam to Antwerp, has several bottleneck sections, one of which is the offending stretch near Rotterdam that EVO and others want upgraded to motorway level.

The measure is expected to improve traffic flow in the southwestern province of Zuid-Holland. Currently, most long-distance lorry traffic is taking the parallel A13 motorway between The Hague and Rotterdam, causing frequent traffic jams and delays.

The petition was set up by EVO, Transport and Logistics Netherlands and the Chamber of Commerce. A spokesperson said they want to demonstrate there is public support for an improvement of the A4 motorway.