Amsterdam Cleans up City Center by Eliminating Parking Spaces

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The plan forms part of an agreement between the current governing coalition members whose parties have left-leaning and green sentiments. But cleaner air and more spacious streets aren’t the only reasons why Amsterdam needs to implement the strategy

Amsterdam’s subsoil has a relatively delicate structure, and decades of heavy traffic have damaged it to the point where many waterside streets are in urgent need of repair. With road closures inevitable, there’s a need to reduce pressure on central Amsterdam’s infrastructure. Eliminating parking spaces will help to achieve this goal.

In Amsterdam’s context, it’s also worth noting the distribution of space allocated to roads, sidewalks, parking, bikes and bike parking. 88 percent of Amsterdam’s trips aren’t undertaken by car. Public transport and bicycles may be the choice of the majority of people, but cars are still getting the most road space. Meanwhile, cyclists, who represent the majority, struggle to find suitable spots to leave their bikes.

 

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Apart from reducing the number of city parking spaces, Amsterdam’s authorities also hope to move many parking spaces into underground parking lots, adding to the space available for bike and pedestrian-friendly facilities.

By the way: Exceptions are to apply for nursing staff, disabled peoples or car sharing providers. They don’t need to worry about their parking permits.