AD/Haagsche Courant, 24 February 2015: 'Board pushes through license plate parking'

“Delft municipality is going ahead with the introduction of digital license plate parking despite a court ruling.

According to the Amsterdam court, parkers cannot be required to type their license plates into the vending machine. Parking operator Cition was quickly making a lot of money with its scan cars because license plates are easy to check. With those scan cars, the company could have checked three times as many cars in 2013 as in 2010. Result: a greater "chance of being caught" and a "greater willingness to pay", which ensures more money in the coffers, director Weekers told Het Parool. Last year, the Privacy First foundation filed a lawsuit. Chairman Bas Filippini deliberately did not enter a license plate number at a parking pole, claiming the obligation violated the right to privacy. The fine imposed was successfully challenged in court. Filippini tells the Parool that the ruling puts a bomb under the control capabilities of parking operators.

However, the Delft council sees it differently. "All license plates of parkers, i.e. permit holders and short-term parkers, are necessary to achieve this efficiency," B&W replied to the council, after questions were raised on the matter in a council committee.

The college says the Amsterdam ruling also states that with license plate parking, "some intrusion into the private life of a license plate holder" is allowed. "The considerations in the ruling also apply to the kentekenparkeren in Delft. Delft is also switching to ticketing due to efficiency advantages. Moreover, Delft has built in sufficient safeguards for the protection of privacy and only when an additional assessment is imposed will license plate data be linked to personal data," said B&W."

Source: AD/Haagsche Courant 24 February 2015, p. 2.