The capital city of Drenthe, Assen, is set to make a number of parking places within the city centre free starting in 2019.
Translation by Thomas Ansell
After 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day on Sundays, Assenars will be able to park their cars in the centre of the city without paying, according to reporting by RTV Drenthe. The only exception is Friday evenings due to the koopavond (shopping evening), where parking charges will remain in place.
The new rules will not cover parking garages, or permit zones, but large swathes of the heart of the city are included, such as the Brinkstraatand portions of the Oostersingel. A grace period is being implemented for the new parking system, so no fines will be issued in the first two weeks under the new rules.
The municipality of Assen told RTV Drenthe, “We understand that everyone has to get used to [the new rules] and therefore we are issuing warnings first. If someone parks illegally after that point, we will issue a traffic ticket.” All cars incorrectly parked from 14 January onward will receive a fine.
It was originally thought that paid parking would only be abolished from 1 July next year, because it would cost the municipality: there was believed to be a 150,000 euro gap in the funding, but the elected municipal council members disagreed. A proposal from several parties for free parking to be re-instated from 1 January was adopted by a large majority in November.
