The referendum on the introduction of regulated parking in eleven neighborhoods in Haarlem will be definitively held on March 6 next year. A proposal by the opposition parties to do it three months later, at the same time as the European elections, did not achieve a majority in the municipal council.
The debate got quite heated. The opposition finds it incomprehensible that March is being chosen. The costs of organizing the referendum will then be much higher than on June 6. The polling stations and volunteers have already been set up for the European Parliament elections. The difference is half a million euros.
Waste
Ruud Kuin of the SP was very upset about this: “Are we wasting half a million? You can also insulate hundreds of houses for that money or give all schoolchildren a lunch.” Kuin is a great supporter of the referendum, which was requested by Haarlem residents Frans de Goede and Wim Kleist.
They argue for holding the referendum on June 6. Not only because of the costs, but also because turnout is higher if there are other elections. The referendum is only valid if at least thirty percent of those entitled to vote show up. In addition, there is also three months more time to campaign.
Paw stiff
The coalition parties previously rejected the request for a referendum, but were turned down by the judge. The municipal council has set its sights on introducing paid parking in a third of the city and appears to be holding firm. And all coalition parties also stayed in line in the discussion about the date: March 6.
Maarten Wiedemeijer of the PvdA once again explained that the city has a limited number of square meters and that that space is now taken up too much by cars. Moreover, you cannot build new homes without a good parking policy, according to the PvdA. For GroenLinks, the greening plans are particularly important. Simply put: greenery can only be added if parking spaces disappear from Haarlem.
“Buddling costs Haarlem half a million!”
Whether these plans can be implemented more quickly or not remains to be seen after March 6. Now the supporters and opponents of the parking policy must start preparing their campaigns. The question of whether the turnout exceeds thirty percent is particularly important. Edwin Vermaire from the Facebook group Haarlem Paid Parking is working hard on this. He is disappointed with the final date: “This insistence will simply cost Haarlem half a million! Every Haarlem resident over the age of sixteen will soon be able to make their voice heard. This is the ultimate opportunity to enforce a say. Don’t let that opportunity slip from your hands.” “
Applause
OPHaarlem councilor Geert-Jan Pocee was installed at the start of the council meeting. He succeeds Frans Smit, who is leaving the council for health reasons. Pocee said the way in which the coalition parties handled the situation was not neat. “But I am now giving the coalition the benefit of the doubt, I have only just arrived. But let’s do it right now, on June 6.”
Those first words received applause from the council, but at the end of the evening a majority of the municipal council took the decision to hold the referendum on March 6, 2024.