The area in the Netherlands where drivers must pay for parking grew 50% in 4 years

Drivers in the Netherlands increasingly have to pay for parking. In four years, the area covered by regulated parking zones grew 50 percent, according to data from the research firm Goudappel, reported on by De Telegraaf. In the meantime, the Rotterdam council on Thursday rejected a call to let the voters decide whether the parking should be paid in the entire city.

Large and midsize cities in particular are reportedly introducing such zones, often to improve the traffic flow and livability in the areas. According to the newspapers, smaller towns are also now increasingly following the example.

Figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) show parking-fee revenue has risen sharply, from 850 million euros in 2017 to 1.4 billion euros in 2024. “You have to be careful that parking policy does not become a cash cow,” said Stefan Westerman, an expert at the ANWB motorists’ association.

In the meantime, Rotterdam’s city council on Thursday voted down a proposal by Leefbaar Rotterdam for a referendum on introducing paid parking across nearly the entire city, which the coalition and the opposition parties were against. Leefbar had led the resistance to the coalition plan and, in a campaign launched two weeks ago, collected more than 8,000 statements of support within a week, well above the 1,000 signatures needed to put the issue on the council agenda, Rijnmond reports.

In a second debate later on Thursday on actually introducing the plan, tempers reportedly ran high. The session ended with a motion of no confidence against Alderman Chantal Zeegers (D66), who is responsible for the policy.