Parking in the busiest parts of Scheveningen and the city centre of The Hague now costs a casual €50. Yep, that road trip to the beach is gonna cost ya. This is part of an attempt to reduce parking crowds in the city — and it’s quite persuasive.
Hold on to your seatbelts, folks. As part of the new measures parking in the busiest spots in The Hague will cost you €50, no matter what.
Just popping in to run a quick errand? €50. Picking up a takeaway? €50. Dashing to the beach, dipping your toe in the ocean, and running back? €50. It doesn’t matter if you’re parked for 10 minutes or the whole day, reports the NOS.
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The sudden uptick in the price of parking is part of a one-year pilot experiment by the Municipality of The Hague to discourage motorists from parking in the busiest parts of the region.
Chaos to park in The Hague
Why this drastic approach? Many residents in the city are struggling to park in their own neighbourhoods due to the crowds of cars.
This isn’t just the case for the city centre either. As the weather gets warmer and more people come to The Hague, parking in Scheveningen and the city centre becomes more and more difficult for residents.
“You can never park, you have to wait for someone to get in and drive away,” Marieke de Jong from the residents’ association Het Oude Centrum tells the NOS. “You just want to park in your own neighbourhood.”
Het is zo druk op Scheveningen dat men de slagbomen bij de Scheveningseslag maar open laat staan, gevolg is weer n ouderwetse file op de boulevard pic.twitter.com/PsY9gLtS0x
— DTpersfoto (@DTpersfoto) August 13, 2022
Translation: “It’s so busy in Scheveningen that the barriers at the Scheveningse slag are left open, resulting in another old-fashioned traffic jam on the boulevard”
Despite several previous measures, limited parking for residents remains a big issue. The municipality already placed traffic controllers near the beach, increased the hourly parking rate from €3.50 to €10, and wheel-clamped incorrectly parked cars (which amounted to almost 3000 cars last year!).
Yet, these measures haven’t been sufficient to reduce the parking crowds. The municipality decided it was time to hit the people where it hurts — their wallets.
Reactions to the new rate
It’s safe to say that some people, especially business owners, are unhappy about the new fixed price.
A liquor store owner in The Hague, Fleur Kruyt, tells NOS that she would have preferred an alternative solution, saying “It doesn’t make doing business any easier.”
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The fixed rate doesn’t accommodate those wanting to enter a store and park for only fifteen minutes or carry heavy boxes, meaning some businesses suffer.
The municipality of The Hague has responded that despite some criticism, there have been mostly positive responses from residents and business owners.
They added that they will be closely monitoring the pilot and evaluating it. For now, though, it might be time to become best friends with public transport or your fiets (bike).
What do you think about the new fixed price? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
As long as the residents and business owners of the area PAY a reasonable fee in order to get a parking permit I think it’s fine.