Amsterdam experiments with boat ban in Red Light District

The municipality of Amsterdam is preparing experiments with three boat-related measures to see if they can reduce inconvenience for residents and business owners in the crowded city center. The first is a pleasure boat ban on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal in the afternoon and evening, AT5 reports.

From Thursday August 23rd until Saturday August 25th, Waternet enforcers will make sure that there are no pleasure boats on the canal between 3:00 p.m. and midnight. People who have docked their boats on the canal may leave the Oudezijds Voorburgwal, but they will not be allowed to return. The municipality wants to see whether banning pleasure craft from the canal will reduce noise pollution in the Red Light District.

A week later, from August 30th till September 1st, canal tour boats will be prohibited from mooring along the Oudezijds Voorburgwal. The municipality wants to find out if this ban will reduce the crowds on the shores of the canal.

In the third experiment, from September 6th to 8th, stewards will be on the boarding- and disembarking stages to make sure that boats don't linger there. Boats that 'claim' the stages are a problem on the busy canal and the stewards may be able to reduce this.

After the experiments, the municipality will assess whether they had any effect and are worth implementing on a permanent basis.