To improve accessibility to busy areas in Scheveningen and the Old City Center, the municipality of The Hague will introduce a progressive parking fee starting in 2026. This will allow short-term parking, while discouraging long-term parking. This will keep the city accessible for residents, visitors, and businesses.
This affects a total of 22 streets: five in Scheveningen and 17 in the Old Town, where a day pass rate of €50 applies. This day pass has clearly had an effect. Streets are quieter, and permit holders can find parking more easily. However, business owners indicate that this makes it more difficult for their customers to go for a quick errand, something the new regulations better address.
Alderman Arjen Kapteijns (Energy Transition, Mobility, and Resources): “The Hague is growing, and there’s little street space. Because space doesn’t just happen, we have to make conscious choices. One of those choices is the introduction of a progressive parking fee in two busy areas of the city. This means the parking fee will increase every 10 minutes. This will allow for short-term parking and discourage long-term parking, without compromising short shopping trips.”
How does a progressive parking fee work?
At the two locations mentioned, parking rates will increase every ten minutes. The longer someone parks, the higher the rate. This can reach a maximum of €50 if you stay longer than an hour and a half. In surrounding areas, an intermediate rate of €4.85 per hour will be introduced to prevent parkers from moving to cheaper neighborhoods and causing parking problems there.
Kapteijns explains: “We need to be smart about the available space. The progressive parking fee prevents long-term street parking in busy areas. It’s one of the measures to encourage car use, while still allowing short-term street parking. If you need to stay in the city for longer, there are other affordable initiatives. For example, SlimParkeren.nl. It allows you to park all day for €7.50, including a tram ticket to the city center or Scheveningen.”
Part of the mobility transition
The introduction of the progressive parking fee is part of The Hague’s broader Parking Strategy 2021–2030. With this strategy, the municipality is committed to space-efficient mobility, where available public space is distributed more fairly between cars, bicycles, pedestrians, and green spaces. The progressive parking fee aligns with this approach: it enables more efficient use of limited space and encourages the use of alternatives. In this way, it contributes to a future-proof city in which accessibility and quality of life go hand in hand.
More information (in Dutch): https://denhaag.raadsinformatie.nl/modules/13/Overige%2520bestuurlijke%2520stukken/1065863
Text: Gemeente Den Haag
Translation: The Hague Online
Image: https://pixabay.com/vectors/parking-place-parking-blue-sign-160748/