Labour: Amsterdam is overcrowded with too many tourists

Amsterdam is getting overcrowded with tourists and forecasts show that this will only get worse. According to the PvdA, the many tourists is a risk for the attractiveness of the city and something has to be done. "It is important to now think about what we should do to prevent Amsterdam losing its attraction", Marjolein Moorman, chairman of the PvdA in Amsterdam, said to broadcaster NOS. "Because not only the residents, but also the tourists suffer from it." The PvdA came up with a 7 step plan to help fix this problem, which it will discuss with residents during a debate in De Balie on Monday night. One of the steps in the plan is to calculate the limit of growth in the city. "That was also done in Venice, and the city crossed the border, it is now only a tourist city. We want to avoid that in Amsterdam." Another point is creating space to stop bicycle traffic jams, overcrowded trams and shopping centers tat have to deny people access. The PvdA thinks that this can be solved by relocating the the start and end stops for tour buses to the outskirts of the city and improving public transport connections to reduce car traffic, so that there is more room of pedestrians and cyclists. The party also wants to address the rental of private homes to tourists. "Of course there is a lot of money to earn, but in this way the city center is becoming less a residential neighborhood and is getting busier." "It is a matter of making choices and taking steps to ensure that Amsterdam remains a beautiful and attractive city", Moorman said to the broadcaster.