You are no longer allowed to park at various access routes to the Dwingelderveld along the Spieregerweg (N855). According to Staatsbosbeheer, the paths that have been closed are not intended for hikers who want to park their car along the road between Spier and Dwingeloo.
“Visitors are welcome in the Dwingelderveld. In order to receive people well, there are various parking spaces where you can start a visit to the area,” says Staatsbosbeheer. But forest rangers and boas are increasingly seeing visitors park along entrances to the area along Spieregerweg. These paths are intended for area managers and aid workers and as crossing points for riders.
Parking behavior results in unsafe situations. “It is a road where people drive relatively fast,” says forest ranger Albert Henckel. “I’ve seen a car suddenly want to park along the road and another hit behind it.”
In addition, unwanted parkers cause nuisance. Visitors park in front of barriers that prevent Staatsbosbeheer vehicles from entering the paths. Henckel: “The barriers are a bit further away from the road, so that trucks that come to collect wood, for example, can stand there to open the barrier, so that they don’t have to stand on the road itself. People just park the car there.”
Driving and bridle paths are also blocked by illegal parkers. The same applies to the specially constructed parking spaces for cars with horse trailers. “Sometimes you see people park normal cars in the parking lot for horse trailers. Then it is difficult to maneuver for horse trailers,” says Henckel. “People think: there are horse trailers there, you can park there, but that is not the case. With a sign it is now even clearer that this is not allowed. There is a section available for drivers, and we want to keep it free for that.”
Staatsbosbeheer wants visitors to Dwingelderveld to park in the designated parking areas along Spieregerweg, Achter ‘t Zaand and Oude Hoogeveensche dijk. At the other places along the road, signs indicate that parking is prohibited. “I’m not into fines, but sometimes people have to pay a tuition fee. Some people only learn it through a ticket, they deliberately flout the rules.”