It seems to be an ineradicable problem in the shopping center of Klazienaveen: wild parkers. Wakker Emmen and former council member Theo Gerth (at the time on behalf of the CDA) are once again drawing attention to this.
Shop visitors can park for free in the center of Klazienaveen. But they are not always parked in the most convenient place, Gerth noticed. It is sometimes doom and gloom, especially between Ship 1 and the statue of the peat worker, according to the former council member.
Cars stand on the bike path or park behind other already parked cars, resulting in congestion. Cyclists and pedestrians have to squeeze through this with all the dangers that entails, says Gerth.
To deal with this problem, blue zones were set up, where visitors could temporarily park their car. There was also the silent hope that visitors would seek refuge in parking areas behind the shopping streets.
According to Gerth, that has turned out to be a vain hope. Because it is not maintained. A walk past the parked cars even shows that the parking ticket is often missing. “Apparently certain traffic rules do not apply in the center of Klazienaveen,” the former council member writes.
Karien Velzing of Wakker Emmen used Gerth’s letter to draw attention to this ‘persistent problem’ during the committee meeting of the municipality of Emmen. Velzing wanted to know whether the municipality could proceed with a number of minor interventions.
Alderman René van der Weide advised against this. Together with, among others, the local shopkeepers’ association Haveka, work is currently underway on a new center plan for Klazienaveen. A large number of pain points, including traffic-related matters, are included in this. It seems wiser to await the implementation of that plan. “That way you avoid doing something ad hoc.”