Amsterdam increasing parking fees to "improve the quality of life"

The municipality of Amsterdam is "raising parking fees to improve the quality of life", the city said in a press release on Thursday. From April next year, parking in the city center for an hour will cost 7.50 euros, instead of the current 5 euros per hour. This is the first time parking fees will change in Amsterdam since 2009, according to the city.

"These are hefty rate increases and not everyone will be happy about it", traffic alderman Sharon Dijksma said in the press release. "But it is necessary to keep the city livable and accessible and to create more space for cyclists, pedestrians and green areas. We will use the extra parking fees to invest in mobility and to improve the quality of the infrastructure and public space in the city."

The municipality hopes that the higher parking fees will encourage residents and visitors to use public transit to travel in and to the city. To help with this, an extra 400 million euros will be invested in new trams, subways, zero emission buses and public transport infrastructure in the coming years.

For Amsterdam residents who receive visitors who come by car, the city is increasing the visitor regulation to 40 hours per month. This means that residents' visitors will get a 50 percent discount on parking fees for 40 hours per month. This applies to districts where the current visitor regulation is between 10 and 30 hours per month.