Most motorists who objected to a traffic fine they received in the Nieuwlandstraat in Tilburg do not have to pay it. They had to pay 159 euros because from July 2021 they were no longer allowed to drive into that street during the day. In one year, 10,000 fines were issued. Many complainants found the situation too unclear.
The court in Tilburg agrees with them. According to him, the entry ban was far too unclear until the street was modified in November.
To make the Dwaalgebied in the center of Tilburg car-free, the municipality introduced an entry ban in 2021. The last part of Nieuwlandstraat, also called Radiopleintje, is only accessible between six and eleven in the morning. Only motorists with an exemption are allowed to drive there later in the day.
In July and August 2021, the entry ban was indicated, but as a motorist you could not go back. You actually drove into a trap. In September and October, the new signs were still very confusing, the judge ruled.
People who were fined 159 euros during these periods will get their money back. From November 3, 2021, the traffic situation was clear enough, according to the judge. The people who have been fined after that just have to pay.
In the first year after the introduction of the entry ban, some 10,000 fines were issued via a traffic camera that registers all number plates. In total, this yielded the treasury about 1.6 million euros.
In total, more than 300 people objected. Most of them got their receipts in the first two periods, when the situation was still too unclear, so they get their money back. Motorists who have not objected have lost their money anyway.