Paid parking within the Eindhoven Ring will be slightly less strict than initially proposed. The city council has made that decision. There will be special rules for residents who share a car, volunteer organisations and companies on business parks.
This decision did not come out of the blue. According to alderman Robert Strijk (mobility), points were made during consultation evenings that made the city council decide to go back to the drawing board. The result is three adjustments.
Such as for volunteer organisations that are located within the Ring. “Sometimes volunteers have to come by car and we have made arrangements for that”, says Strijk. In concrete terms, this means that the visitor arrangement for permit holders has been looked at. Volunteer organisations that are in possession of a permit receive 1625 hours per quarter for their volunteers. With these ‘visitor hours’ they can park cheaper.
Industrial estates
The rules have also been adjusted for businesses on business parks De Kade, Scherpakkerweg, Hallenweg and Limburglaan. The reason is that business parks are often less accessible by public transport. In addition, employees are often dependent on a van.
“The plan was initially that 1 in 10 employees would have the right to park their car there. Now that will be 1 in 3, until January 1, 2029. In the coming years, we will look with those employers at what they can do to get to that 1 in 10. Think of improving public transport or driving together.”
Shopkeepers
There will be no exception for shopkeepers, for example on the Hoogstraat. According to the alderman, they are easily accessible by public transport. “They will have to ensure that their employees come by bike, by bus or pay for parking.”
But don’t the customers stay away? “I’ve also been an alderman in other cities. And you see that it’s always not that bad. You go to a store because you think it’s a good store.”
Finally, it will be possible for a group of residents to apply for a permit for a shared car. “We think that is a good initiative,” says Strijk. In the eyes of the city government, the growth of the city requires measures to reduce traffic in the city centre. Eindhoven is expected to gain 40,000 homes, 20,000 of which will be within the Ring.
From car to bus
The goal is for residents to leave their cars at home more often and opt for the bike or the bus. Is public transport ready for that?
“I think that public transport in Eindhoven is currently sufficient, but that it can and must be improved. We are also discussing this with the province that is responsible for this. For example, how do we get more buses that run more often? And we are investing heavily in bus lines,” according to the responsible alderman. For example, the HOV4, a fast bus connection from the centre of Eindhoven to Veldhoven.
Paid parking is expected to be introduced everywhere within the Ring from 1 July.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
