Amsterdam council is planning to introduce 24 hour paid parking in the city centre in an effort to stop tourists using their cars as free places to sleep.

The measure is one of several the city is planning to take to make sure car users pay ‘a higher contribution to city maintenance.’

The 24/7 plan will cover the entire Centrum district, where fees are currently €7.50 an hour and which includes the 17th century canal rings as well as the red light district.  Parking in Centrum is currently free between midnight and 9am, and midday on Sundays.

In 2024 the city plans to expand paid parking throughout the districts of Nieuw-West and Zuidoost, where many people currently park their cars to avoid high charges elsewhere.

‘Parked cars take up a lot of public space while the city is growing and becoming busier,’ said city transport chief Melanie van der Horst. ‘That is why we are asking car users to pay an extra contribution to city maintenance.’

The €7.50 an hour drivers pay to park in the centre will not be increased but parking fees rise between 20 cents and 50 cents an hour elsewhere. Saturday and evening parking fees are also being introduced in more places.

In total, the measures will raise an expected €35.7 million a year for the city coffers, the council said.

The council hopes to introduce the higher fees next summer and to include Nieuw-West and Zuidoost in the paid parking zone in 2024.