Even when applying for a parking permit, you can pay more money than before.
One of the measures to reduce car traffic in busy city centers is to make parking more difficult, for example by making it more expensive. And what about the residents? You also increase their parking permit, so that having one car is so expensive that you don't consider putting a second car in front of your door. It is the reality in the Netherlands, because parking permits have risen in price again in the Netherlands, by an average of five percent across the country. By the way, it is not just a measure to make cities car-free, more about that in a moment.
Increased
Because many municipalities have implemented these increased costs. This is evident from a study by the Eigen Huis Association. For example, parking cost kings Amsterdam and Utrecht raised prices by almost ten and six percent respectively, to 631.20 and 615.48 euros per year for one parking permit. As many as 88 of the 129 Dutch municipalities are raising prices, by an average of five percent. Residents of some municipalities will hardly have noticed, because there are also the explosive increases of 75 and 48 percent in Bunschoten-Spakenburg and Rijswijk. In the first one, parking cost 37.33 euros per year, in 2024 you can pay 65 euros. In Rijswijk it amounted to 68.40 euros, 22 more than the year before. On an annual basis, this does not involve gigantic amounts, it is mainly in the large cities where you will really notice it in hard euros.
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For context: since you pay more than 600 euros for a parking permit in Amsterdam and Utrecht, it only costs 93.80 and 106.80 euros in The Hague and Rotterdam. And if you really want cheap parking as a resident, you have to live in Katwijk and Noordwijk with 20 euros (on an annual basis!). Less than 1.70 per month for a car on your doorstep!
Decline
So there are 88 of the 129 municipalities where costs have increased. And what about the other 41? In 40 of those municipalities, prices have not changed. And that one extra is the municipality of Zoetermeer. A parking permit has become cheaper there. It involved almost 50 euros per year, which is now 34.48 euros.
Low-traffic
As mentioned, such an increase in the price of parking permits goes hand in hand with the intention to make cities car-free or car-free. However, there is more to it. A 'ravine year' is approaching, says André de la Porte of VEH The Telegraph. Municipalities are preparing for a significant budget deficit in 2026 and 2027 due to a new municipal fund system. So parkers have to pay the price, which VEH does not entirely agree with. According to De la Porte, the incoming cabinet is being called upon to prevent these types of tax increases.
This article Parking in one municipality in the Netherlands has become cheaper first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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