'Snow tourism' in Limburg leads to traffic congestions and countless parking tickets

‘Snow tourism’ in the hills of South Limburg on Saturday led to countless parking tickets and traffic congestion around the border with Germany and Belgium.

The police issued an unknown number of fines for improper parking. Cars lined up along the narrow winding roads. Enforcers were so busy “that they had to go to the town hall in the meantime to charge the batteries of the devices with which fines were issued,” said the Mayor of Vaals, Harry Leunessen.

People had come to the area to enjoy the snow that had fallen over the past few days. According to the Mayor, there were mainly families with dogs, children, and sleds on the roads. “Many people came from far away, including from Eindhoven and Den Bosch,” he said.

The extra traffic caused significant issues for municipal employees, the police, and forest regulators. In many places, traffic got stuck. In response, the municipality closed several roads, as the conditions were very slippery.