Woensel shopping centre will have a short-term trial for free parking. This has been promised by councillor Monique List-de Roos, at the request of the city council.
Local politicians and entrepreneurs in WoensXL has been wishing for the trial of free parking. It is one of the measures to make the area more attractive for visitors again. Apart from free parking, there should also be more catering, greenery, events and homes.
Park and Ride (P&R)
People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) again drew attention to a pilot with free parking on weekends. The trial should show whether free parking can help attract extra visitors. The large parking area at the shopping centre can also serve as a P&R for people who want to go to the city centre. “We would like to roll out this trial and will get to work on it. Free parking can be one way to enliven the mall. We also see great opportunities for a P&R here”, says List.
Socialist Party (SP) wants to go further than weekend-only, in order to get a better picture of the effects. List wants to look into this, but does point to the cost. “That means more loss of parking income.”
Advice
At the beginning of last year, the city council decided to plan for making WoensXL more attractive. Entrepreneurs sounded the alarm and have been complaining about declining visitor numbers for a while. Last autumn, Fontys Hogescholen issued advice on how to get the shopping centre out of the doldrums. The advice included fewer shops, more homes, more greenery and extra attention for young people.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Shufei
