Locals furious: Holidaymakers at Rotterdam airport parking in front of their homes

Holidaymakers flying from Rotterdam The Hague airport are parking in the surrounding neighborhoods en masse. The airport is launching a campaign to discourage this, but furious locals are taking matters into their own hands, AD reports.

“Nuisance? We are sick of it!” Claudia, a resident of the Zestienhovensekade in Rotterdam-Overschie, told AD. “I've thrown eggs at windshields. And here, further on, NP, no parking, has been sprayed on car windows with red paint. No, that’s not allowed, but it does indicate that we’ve had enough.”

Claudia has lived a stone’s throw from the airport for ten years. According to her, the nuisance caused by travelers parking in front of her door for free and then walking to the airport increases along with parking prices at the airport. “Almost no one has a place in front of the door anymore,” she said. “There are holidaymakers’ cars everywhere. Sometimes for weeks. I think there is only one solution: introduce paid parking here. It’s a shame because that’s how those holidamakers are costing us money.”

The streets of the Landzicht district, even closer to the airport, are filled with cars, including a striking number of luxury cars. “They all belong to holidaymakers,” a local told the newspaper. “That Mercedes has been there for weeks. The license plates are already gone. That’s what you get, eh? If you can afford such an expensive car, you can also pay for parking at the airport.” She and her husband often have to circle for hours to find a parking spot within walking distance from their home of 38 years. “When we see people getting out with suitcases, we tell them they are not allowed to park here. Then you get into a fight, and they park anyway.”

Rotterdam The Hague Airport is aware of the parking issues and has launched campaigns to urge their travelers not to park in the neighborhoods. Get dropped off or come by public transport, is the message on the airport’s site and online advertisements. Or pay for parking at the airport.

“We have been trying to discourage parking in Schiebroek, Overschie, but also Park 16Hoven for years because we understand very well that our neighbors are bothered by this," a spokesperson for Rotterdam The Hague Airport told the newspaper. “This summer holiday, we will conduct an additional campaign in these neighborhoods with large warning signs: do not park here. We are waiting for the permit for this.”

A local on Meijersplein in Schiebroek hopes that will help, but is doubtful. All the airport can do is ask. “The monetary incentive remains. As long as it is free, people will park here,” she said. “I’ll just park a few streets away because we really don’t want paid parking.”