Amsterdam may charge parking fees for bikes

DutchAmsterdam.nl — It may be a matter of time before Amsterdam begins to charge bicycle riders to park their bikes in certain areas of town.

Alderman Maurice Piek (VVD) yesterday suggested that the city build bicycle parking facilities in places like Munt square, Dam square and at Central Station. He suggest charging a hourly fee of €0.63 an hour, Dutch daily De Telegraaf reports.

The current bike parking facility at Central Station is not large enough
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The Fietsersbond, the Dutch Cyclists’ Union, reacted by saying good behavior should not be taxed. A spokesperson for the union said, “Politicians encouraged people to travel by bike in the center of town. People have answered that call, but the promised bicycle parking facilities have not yet materialized.”

Piek points that out in some place you could ‘break your neck’ over the bikes, and says where there is a dearth of parking spots one has to be willing to pay.

He suggests a chip-based payment system in combination with a license plate for each bike. Piek says civil servants should receive special training so they can supervise the scheme.

Meanwhile the Cyclists’ Union maintains that the city of Amsterdam has never taken its responsibility. “For ten years there has been talk about a large parking facility at Central Station,” the spokesperson says.