Machine translations by Deepl

Various regional dailies, 10 November 2015: 'No need to enter license plate when parking'

Setback for license plate parking 

The obligation to enter the license plate when parking, as applies in several municipalities, is not justified. This has been ruled by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal in eight cases involving license plate parking.

'The parking policies of Amsterdam and numerous other Dutch municipalities are definitively called into question as a result,' argues Amsterdam-based Privacy First.

This foundation calls on citizens to oppose license plate parking, this can be done with the model objection at www.privacyfirst.nl. Director and lawyer Vincent Böhre considers the ruling "a major victory in the fight for more privacy in public spaces". Since July 2013, parking meters in Amsterdam have required entering the registration number of the parked car. Böhre believes this is at odds with the right to visit others anonymously. After all, with the push of a button, license plates can be traced back to individuals and where they are. Thus, the Servicehuis Parkeer- en Verblijfsrechten (SHPV) creates, according to Böhre, "an enormous database". "They are the spider in the web."

The court found in the eight cases that the parking tax had been paid but an incorrect registration number had been typed in at the machine. 'For example, HA-HA-HA instead of the actual registration number.' Because the parking inspector could not see whether tax had been paid, an additional assessment followed. Wrongly, said the court, 'after all, parking tax that has been paid cannot be surcharged'. License plate parking is also used in (private) car parks. After paying in the ticket machine, the lever goes up without a ticket, because of recognition of the previously scanned license plate and corresponding payment.

Parking garages are the next target. Böhre: "Who can tell me that my scanned data will indeed be erased after exiting? And you have no choice now, you cannot indicate that you want to park anonymously and therefore drive out of the garage the old way - insert paid ticket, lever up.""

Source: Noordhollands Dagblad, Leidsch Dagblad, IJmuider Courant, Haarlems Dagblad & Gooi- en Eemlander, 10 November 2015. 

Court: No need to enter license plate when parking

Parkers in Rotterdam are not required to enter their license plate number at the parking meter. As long as they pay. The municipality is then not allowed to impose a parking fine on these motorists. This is according to an Amsterdam court ruling in several cases of parkers in the capital.

In Amsterdam, licence plate parking was introduced back in 2013. As in Rotterdam, parkers would have to enter their license plate number when they parked their car somewhere. Several motorists refused to do so for privacy reasons. They received a fine. But according to the court, they cannot be fined because they have paid.

Earlier this year, Bas Filippini, chairman of the organisation Privacy First, also won a lawsuit against the municipality of Amsterdam over license plate parking. Filippini had also deliberately not introduced a license plate. The Amsterdam court then also ruled that no parking fine should be imposed if payment was demonstrably made.

According to Privacy First, this ruling puts cities' parking policies in permanent question. It wants parkers to be able to pay in cash or with anonymous means of payment."

Source: AD/Rotterdams Dagblad, AD/De Dordtenaar & AD/Rivierenland, 10 November 2015.

Similar news items also appeared in De Stentor/Apeldoornse Courant, Deventer Dagblad, Dagblad Flevoland, Gelders Dagblad, Nieuw Kamper Dagblad, Sallands Dagblad, Zutphen Dagblad, Veluws Dagblad, Zwolse Courant & De Gelderlander.

Following the Amsterdam court ruling, the municipality of Hoorn decided not to 100% digitise its parking policy and continue to issue parking tickets at parking meters. Parking enforcers in Hoorn have also since been instructed by the municipality to look at the dashboard of cars to see if there is a parking ticket. (See Noordhollands Dagblad, 11 November 2015: 'Hoorn upholds tickets after ruling on license plate parking.') In Hoorn, ticketing also includes the option to pay in cash at the parking machine.

In Nijmegen, meanwhile, the introduction of ticketing parking is in doubt: http://www.gelderlander.nl/regio/nijmegen-e-o/nijmegen/toch-weer-twijfel-over-proef-met-kentekenparkeren-1.5423291 

See further the following news sources: http://www.nu.nl/economie/4159267/geen-naheffing-parkeren-verkeerd-kenteken.html
http://www.metronieuws.nl/binnenland/amsterdam/2015/11/boete-geldt-niet-bij-xxx-of-ha-ha-ha
https://www.security.nl/posting/450330/Hof+Amsterdam+zet+streep+door+kentekenparkeren
http://www.destentor.nl/regio/kampen/kentekenparkeren-door-hoge-raad-op-de-helling-1.5426995

Response parking manager Cition (Amsterdam municipality): 
http://www.at5.nl/artikelen/149495/cition-kentekenparkeren-stukje-service-voor-automobilist
http://www.powned.tv/nieuws/binnenland/2015/11/kentekenparkeren_adam_is_servi.html