Paid parking in Haarlem’s Sportheldenbuurt will end immediately: “It is now filling up again”

The signs announcing that you are entering a paid parking area are still hanging at the intersection of Kick Smitweg and Oudeweg, but the parking meter just further down the street is already closed. There is a large, yellow sticker on it with the message: “There is no longer paid parking in the Sportheldenbuurt.” A passerby on a bicycle points to it and shouts: “Good, huh? Just free again!” He drives on quickly, it is raining.

Support research

A spokesperson for the municipality of Haarlem explains that the support survey conducted in 2021 was not carefully conducted. In that study, 55 percent of participants indicated that they were in favor of paid parking in the neighborhood.

When asked what went wrong with the investigation, the spokesperson said: “We did not communicate with sufficient care about the consequences for different groups of residents with regard to whether or not they received resident parking permits and the visitor regulations. This is a learning point.”

Not impressed

A resident of Kick Smitweg, who prefers to tell his story anonymously, has his own opinion: “There were two years between that research and the introduction of paid parking. I voted in favor at the time, but the municipality changed the rules during the process. “The entire part of the neighborhood between Kick Smitweg and Spaarne suddenly falls outside the area for paid parking. They are therefore not entitled to a parking permit.”

And that is a strange thing: it concerns car-free streets that form a pedestrian area. Many people live there and there are indoor parking spaces, but those residents have very limited rights to a permit for a second car and no right to the visitor scheme at all.

The anonymous resident sighs: “I am not very impressed with the implementation of the policy and communication by the municipality.”

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Police vans and work vans

The resident is not happy that paid parking has been canceled for the time being. “After this was introduced, it was a lot quieter in the neighborhood. But beware: in no time you will see the police vans in the neighborhood again, which take officers to their parked car and the vans from all kinds of companies in the area Or employees of schools in the area, who park their cars here. Because there is paid parking in the area, so now it is filling up again.”

The municipality has now sent residents a letter about discontinuing paid parking. It announces a walk-in consultation hour on the issue. The municipality also reports that the money for parking permits will be refunded and residents who were on the street with their car can request their parking money back. Then they must be able to provide proof of payment.

And what about the parking fines?

Several residents of the Sportheldenbuurt indicate that since the introduction of paid parking, there has been strict enforcement and many fines have been issued. They would like to know whether those fines will also be repaid. NH has submitted that question to the municipality, but the answer has not yet been received.

It is clear that the traffic signs will be removed this week. The machines will remain in place until after the referendum on the introduction of paid parking in large parts of Haarlem. This concerns two parking meters. “These two machines will remain out of service for the time being,” says the municipal spokesperson, “These may possibly be moved to another location in the city.”

What now?

It is unclear whether the Sportheldenbuurt will have to pay for a parking space again in the future. The municipality is now awaiting the referendum on paid parking, which will be held on June 8, 2024, at the same time as the European elections. Until then, there will be no new support research in the district.