He has resigned himself to it and no longer places his Hague bollards along the road at his driveway. In the past six months, Hans Jansen from Roswinkel was at odds with the municipality, which did not give him permission. At the end of last year, both parties appeared before the objections committee, which has now ruled that the municipality acted correctly. Jansen does not make a big deal out of it. “Of course I can still go to court, but I’ll leave that.”
Jansen (1958) was born and raised in The Hague, but made the switch to Roswinkel seventeen years ago. “We had leased the place where we lived at the time. The landowner wanted to switch to new construction at this location, so we had to look for something else.”
According to him, living in The Hague or the surrounding area was not an option. “Much too expensive. Moreover, we wanted peace and space around us, the latter also because of our horses and dogs.” After a tour of housing site Funda, Jansen’s eye quickly fell on a workers’ cottage near Roswinkel. Together with his family (which consists of two daughters in addition to wife Karin) to his new home. Because of the poor condition, they slide that house down to build a new home.
Jansen had brought two city markers from The Hague. They are comparable to the well-known Amsterdammers. But instead of three crosses, a stork adorns it, the logo of The Hague. “Because of my move to Drenthe, I naturally wanted a souvenir. At the municipal yard I found those posts that had fallen into disuse, which I was then allowed to take with me.”
The idea was to place them along the road near his driveway. Partly also to protect that driveway against traffic, he adds.
He writes to the municipality to ask for permission. “My wife wondered whether placement was actually allowed. After all, it is municipal land.” Hans therefore walks the royal road and sends an email. The response was disappointing. “I got a short and sweet no. Without further explanation or the exact name of the sender.”
Jansen does not accept this and an extensive email exchange follows. Finally, the hearing will take place before the complaints committee.
The municipality ruled that the bollards could be an obstacle to traffic wanting to pass each other. Given the width of the road and the fact that there is a lot of agricultural traffic, the chance of a collision is high, according to the municipality. Of course there are also road signs on the roadside, but they are mandatory.
Jansen countered that he did not want to place the bollards right next to the road, but about a meter away from it. “In line with the trees that are there. So passing remains possible.” The municipality also feared that they would be liable if the bollards were hit. After all, they would be on municipal land. “I thought that was nonsense. I think if you hit a stationary object, the driver is responsible.”
In its advice, the objections committee now agrees with the argumentation of the municipality: the bollards represent a risk to road safety. Jansen has resigned himself, somewhat reluctantly. “The municipality is so childish, but she is right in a way. I just put those posts in front of my fence. Doesn’t bother anyone and I can still enjoy it. Because for me it’s just a nice piece of nostalgia.”