The Hague abolishes 50-euro parking fee

The municipality of The Hague has announced a new parking systems for the city centre to replace the previous 50-euro parking fee. Meanwhile, research by the Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) reveals Dutch residents' frustrations with too few parking spaces in the Netherlands.

New parking systems in The Hague

Since 2023, the municipality of The Hague has charged drivers the full-day parking fee of 50 euros in residential streets in the city centre and Scheveningen, regardless of the duration of parking. The fee was intended to discourage tourists and visitors from taking up locals’ parking spaces.

As of April 1, 2026, this will be abolished to align further with the The Hague Parking Strategy 2021-2030. A progressive parking system on 22 streets will charge 35 cents per minute for the first 20 min of parking. After that, the rate will increase every 10 minutes. Vehicles that are left for more than 90 minutes will still have to pay the full-day fee of 50 euros.

Those looking to park in green-yellow zones will have to pay one euro for the first two hours of parking, after which the rate increases to 2,75 euros per hour. This reformed parking system is meant to create spaces for pedestrians, cyclists and green areas while making parking more accessible to residents.

Too few parking spaces in the Netherlands

Residents in the Netherlands have increasingly been struggling to find parking spaces, which are often occupied by tourists and company vehicles. According to AD, ANWB has surveyed over 1.000 people in urban areas, and found that only 47 percent of Dutch residents easily find parking spaces in their neighbourhood.

Finding a spot is particularly difficult in the evenings. 40 percent of residents struggle with finding space at the end of the day, compared to only 23 percent during the day. Some have also reported feeling unsafe on the way to or in areas with available spots, due to concerns about burglary and vandalism.

The closer drivers are to city centres, the higher the chances of having to resort to paid parking spots. While 43 percent of surveyed people find the rates reasonable, a quarter say the costs are too high. ANWB expects more municipalities to introduce systems similar to The Hague's new system.