The election results in Alkmaar are known, and because the five largest parties are all very close to each other in terms of seats, the residents of the city center of Alkmaar do not know where they stand. “OPA doesn’t think much about it, luckily we see that the other parties, except for the VVD, do do this,” says Pim de Ridder, chairman of residents’ association Hart voor Alkmaar. He hopes that the other three parties can mean something for the inhabitants of the city center.
According to residents, the traffic in the city center is becoming too great. “Wider cars are driving, which are also incorrectly parked and bicycles are electrified, so that the traffic mix in the city is no longer correct,” says Pim. According to him, there are mainly two major culprits, parking garages are underused and there are shortcuts through the city center.
Differing opinions
During the Alkmaar election debate, organized by Streekstad Centraal and NH Nieuws, Pim raised these problems as a hot topic. During the debate that followed, opinions differed quite a bit. Liveable Alkmaar, for example, believes that people from outside should enter the parking garage as quickly as possible and OPA prefers parking space everywhere.
“There are also people who do not dare to park in a parking garage,” says Victor Kloos of OPA. The CDA wants the parking garages to be easier to find, to which Arie Epskamp of SeniorenPartij Alkmaar: “If you don’t see the signs to the parking garage, you shouldn’t drive.” The VVD is very clear: “The city center should never, never, never car-free”, shouts John van Rhee.