Forget parking spaces; grow a garden
WHEN PARKED CARS TOOK UP ALL THE SPACE ON THE STREET, A DUTCH CITY PUT FORTH A RADICAL SUGGESTION
Walter Dresscher | Organiser of scheme
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Walter Dresscher sitting in the ‘Debatmobiel’ (debate-car) in The Hague, and (below) Eline Keus, one of the founders of the Debatmobiel.
with their cars due to be removed in this month. Two residents have, however, pre-empted the scheme by putting flower-filled towcarts in front of their homes, much to the irritation of some. Drivers have been known to shout abuse as they drive by.
The right to a car
Dresscher, who has €60,000 of funding from the council and charities, is still confident that more people will come round to his thinking, and is glad that a debate has been started.
Rembrant Frerichs, 40, and, Wolfert Brederode, 44, both pianists, and neighbours on Newtonstreet, said they believed it was an important first step in changing the nature of their road.
Brederode said: “I just don’t think I need the car outside my house all the time.
Dresscher said the project had been inspired by the experience of being forced to push his baby’s pram on the road when living in Amsterdam because cars were blocking the pavement.
“I looked at these cars and there were actually plants growing under them. They hadn’t moved for three or four weeks. I started thinking: does anyone know how many cars are used or not?”
Dresscher’s response from the Amsterdam municipality suggested that 25 per cent of those cars used by residents were only driven once a week on average. Around 60 per cent used their cars less due to fears that they would lose their parking place.
“This is a completely ridiculous situation,” he said. “I want to get rid of unused cars. The municipalities of Netherlands cannot keep going like this. One day they will come and take away that right, I am sure about that. But this is chance for people to change their behaviour themselves.”