There will be national elections on Wednesday, but you can also vote locally on fewer cars and more greenery.
On Wednesday, November 22, we can opt for a new House of Representatives. We have previously paid extensive attention to the options available to car owners/enthusiasts. But there are also some things planned here and there locally.
In addition to a new national representation, voters in the municipality of Amersfoort choose in a simultaneous referendum whether they like the municipality’s new parking policy.
Amersfoort parking policy
What exactly does Amersfoort’s new parking policy entail? Well, like many other municipalities, Amersfoort also has to build, build, build. There are also too few houses there. The number of cars in the city must be reduced, otherwise there will be no room for them.
Within the municipality of Amersfoort, the number of parked cars currently takes up around 200 football fields. The council thinks there is far too much in the city, where there would be better houses, greenery and children’s playgrounds.
Solution
The municipality’s plan is fairly simple. Just paid parking throughout the municipality. So not just the center of the city, but the entire municipality. So also in the villages of Hoogland and Hooglanderveen, for example.
This would then have to be rolled out in phases. First the neighborhoods around the center and then the rest of the municipality. A little further outwards. That process will take years, but the result is that households with multiple cars will receive one permit and a second car will have to park in a parking hub outside the city or village.
From the parking hub to be created, you can then continue by bicycle or public transport. It is not yet known exactly what this will all look like.
Who is for?
Supporters of the plan are very happy with more greenery, more safety and play areas for children. Neighborhoods around the city center have a lot of parking pressure from people who like to park for free just outside the center. Tell me why all cities are continuing to expand the paid parking area.
Proponents are also in favor out of ideals. Because of course the car doesn’t belong in the city. And then immediately pay for parking throughout the city, otherwise the problem will only shift.
Who is against?
Opponents find the plans vague. How much will all those permits cost? And where should those parking hubs be located and what will parking there cost? Another argument from the opponents is that introducing paid parking throughout the municipality is exaggerated.
For example, there is little evidence of excessive parking pressure in the villages of Hoogland and Hooglanderveen. Public transport also does not cover all neighborhoods and villages equally well.
Yes, the parking policy in Amersfoort…
Nice to see such a “local” message on our favorite blog about cars. Why do we care? Well, we’re going to see this in many more medium-sized cities in the coming years. One city opts for an environmental zone, the other for municipal-wide paid parking. Still other cities will do both.
In the Municipality of Amersfoort, residents will in any case be allowed to “decide” next Wednesday through an advisory referendum. You can vote for or against the plan. The referendum is advisory, not binding. The referendum is only valid if twenty-five percent of the people vote against it. But even then the municipal council can simply go ahead with the plans and ignore the results. Result at the end of next week reports RTV Utrecht.
This article Elections: fewer cars and more green first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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