Firework limits needed in cities: mayors

The four major cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague, want to limit the time in which fireworks may be sold and set off. They addressed the issue with Minister Opstelten of Security and Justice in a joint letter, according to De Telegraaf.

"New Year's Eve should turn into a normal day, where people can work, walk their dog and pick up groceries, without fear of fireworks," said Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb to the paper. The cities want to limit the time when fireworks may be set off from 23:00 to 01:00 on December 31st, instead of 10:00 to 02:00. The sales should also start on December 30th instead of December 28, and fireworks should only be set off on designated locations. The cities already addressed the issue in January. In a response Opstelten announced he wants to give the cities more room to determine where to ban fireworks. 80 percent of the municipalities is for adjusting fireworks regulation, according to an NOS poll.