From next year, it will become cheaper to park your electric car, and parking permits might become cheaper too, reports RTL Nieuws.
State Secretary of Infrastructure and Water Management, Vivianne Heijnen, recently announced this happy news — which might concern over 300,000 Dutch car owners! 🚗
What’s the deal?
From 2023, municipalities across the country will be given the opportunity to lower parking rates for all cars that don’t exhaust damaging gasses, after an amendment to the Dutch Municipalities Act.
That means, if you have a lovely clean, green, sustainable car, your life might be about to get just a little bit better. It is not yet clear whether the discount will apply to hybrid cars since they’re in a bit of a grey area, emission-wise. 💨
The driving force behind the change is the Dutch government’s aim to reduce both air- and noise pollution significantly across the country in the coming years. However, since each municipality will have the freedom to set its own parking rates, the result of the new amendment might look quite different from city to city.
Does it matter?
With over 300,000 electric cars on Dutch roads, the parking discount will be good news for many. But the development is also to benefit those without an electric car (or without a car at all — hello fellow bikers!).
First of all, the Dutch government aims to have all cars be CO2-free by the year 2050. So, you might be smart in considering going electric if you want to invest in a new vehicle anytime soon — for the sake of saving those extra cents or just to make sure you can keep using your car after 2050.
Secondly, the amendment will benefit anyone who likes to breathe clean air and hear the birds sing, when commuting to school and work. 🌱
Making it easier to have an electric vehicle is another piece in the Dutch puzzle of securing a greener future, and small societal changes like these are a great sign of Dutch progress and innovation in the area of sustainability.
What do you think of the amendment to the municipalities law? Will it make a difference? Tell us in the comments!
Let’s be honest and call this exactly what it is, blatant discrimination. Who drives electric cars, it’s certainly not the lower classes! All this will do is give a break to the rich at the expense of the poor. This proposal should never come to fruition!