Cities issue nearly 7,000 fines in zero-emissions zones in first month

Municipalities issued approximately 6,800 fines in July to businesses that entered zero-emission zones illegally. This is according to figures shared with parliament by caretaker State Secretary Thierry Aartsen (Environment) on Monday. Rotterdam and The Hague issued the most fines, 3,037 and 1,279, respectively.

A handful of cities banned businesses with the most polluting cars from entering their city centers at the beginning of this year, despite the Schoof I Cabinet’s attempts to stop them. Gradually, more and more vehicles will be banned, eventually only allowing electric or hydrogen-powered company cars in these zero-emission zones by 2030. Businesses can be granted exemptions, for example, if the power grid is full.

In the first six months of the year, the cities only issued warnings. The first municipalities began issuing fines in July.

According to VVD State Secretary Aartsen, the implementation of the zero-emission zones is proceeding “calmly.” The figures per municipality are difficult to compare because situations vary locally. “The size of a zone and the period between sending warning letters or fines play a role.”