Will an SUV in Amsterdam be a thing of the past in the future? If it is up to traffic alderman Van der Horst, yes. She follows with great interest the developments in Paris and the battle of the French city in combating ‘car obesity’. She calls it ‘very interesting’ and is looking at the possibilities of whether similar measures can also be applied in Amsterdam.
In six months’ time, the rates in Paris will go up to combat the growth in the weight and size of heavy cars. “In Paris, but also here in Amsterdam, the pressure in the city is very great and we just have to see what we can or cannot make room for,” says alderman Van der Horst. “I sometimes wonder what you do as an SUV in the city.”
‘Do more docking’
Reactions to the possible higher parking costs for heavy cars vary. In Zuid, an SUV owner says he thinks it’s a ridiculous idea. “Everyone has a large car here in Amsterdam South. As wealthy people, we all have to pay more for that.”
An Amsterdammer who thinks it’s a good idea says “you put a car in a city that is for everyone and if you take up extra space then I think you can pay more. If you can buy an SUV then you can according to me too.”
In the PC Hooftstraat, a passer-by says that he finds it ‘typical car bullying’. Another man thinks it’s too easy to say that if a car fits in a parking space, that’s fine. “You have to be careful with that. Amsterdam is a very big city and it is also allowed to live on a grand scale, but that also comes with a price tag.”
There are no concrete plans yet to introduce higher parking rates for fat cars in the city. But the alderman will investigate whether this can also be introduced in Amsterdam in the near future.