Amsterdam takes measures against crowds in city center

With coronavirus restrictions lifting and more and more people being out and about, the city of Amsterdam is taking extra measures to manage crowds and prevent nuisance in the city center. "Visitors who respect Amsterdam and the people of Amsterdam have always been welcome," the city said in a press release. "Visitors who treat our residents and heritage with disrespect are not welcome. The message we have for them is: don't come to Amsterdam."

While the increasing liveliness on the street is great for local businesses and cultural institutions, the city is determined to improve crowd management. "We do not ant to go back to what we saw before the pandemic, where massive crowds in the Red Light District and the city's entertainment areas caused a nuisance to residents," the city said.

A special team was put together to address the "sleep in your car" phenomenon - visitors from neighboring countries coming to Amsterdam by car, parking on the canals at night and spending the night in their car without paying parking. The "sleeper team" will carry out regular checks and impose on-the-spot fines to anyone caught sleeping in their car.

Extra enforcement officers will also be deployed to manage crowds in the city center, enforce sailing speed limits and noise levels on the canals, and intensify the approach to illegal holiday rentals, the city said. The city council is currently debating on whether or not to temporarily ban laughing gas in specific areas of the Red Light District. And alcohol consumption in the District will be closely monitored, so that alcohol sales can be temporarily banned before they become an issue, the city said.

The municipality also prepared several public information campaigns to make sure visitors know the rules and regulations that apply in the city, and to help spread them out across the city more.