Doctors and Priests Park for Free 25/01/2007 00:00

25 January 2007

BRUSSELS – Municipalities can choose which target groups they would like to provide with the new parking permits. The holders of such permits will be allowed to park in the designated areas for free. This was ruled by the Minister of Transport Renaat Landuyt yesterday.

The free parking permits are already distributed by the municipalities among the local residents. Until now, however, other target groups who often need to quickly find a parking spot (the Belgian government has included doctors, nurses and priests in this category), have not had the right to park for free, De Standaard reports.

Now the municipalities are given the freedom to decide which target group will get most parking rights and for what period of time. The permit can also be assigned for a fee.

The lack of free and accessible parking does not limit itself to large cities only, as doctors and nurses have been demanding that special parking facilities be created in Turnhout en Beveren-Waas.

The new regulations come in force on 1 February this year, the newspaper reports.

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news