The City Utrecht will ban all non electric vessels from its canals.
- Carlo van den Heuvel
- May 28, 2023
- 3 min read
Utrecht - One-way traffic and a night-time sailing ban on the Oudegracht, from 2030 only electrically powered boats and Utrecht residents with a house on the water will have to pay if they have moored a boat. These are some of the plans that the municipality of Utrecht announced today in the City Water Vision.
Utrecht has been seeing its city water become increasingly busy for years. The plans must manage this crowd better, the council says. In addition, according to the municipality, there was no overarching vision on how to deal with city water.
Utrecht residents with a house on the water will have to pay if they have moored a boat. That is one of the proposals from councilor Susanne Schilderman in the City Water Vision. Renters of canoes and SUPs (Stand Up Paddleboards) will also have to pay for use of the Utrecht water if it is up to the alderman.
Boat owners who have their vessel at home will also have to apply for a permit. This will be refused if the boat does not have an electric motor. There will be more specific jetties for canoeists and the passage through the Weerdsluis will be free for the canoe. At the moment, canoes have to pay a few euros if they want to go from the Vecht to the Oudegracht or back.
The City Water Vision is about more than pleasure boating. Councilor Schildeman (D66) explains how she believes the city should deal with the water. It is also about supplying the city, walking along the water, skating in the winter, swimming in the summer and much more.
The Vision contains details that have already become known. For example, it is being investigated whether a number of unofficial swimming spots in the city can be legalized, such as at De Munt and in the Veilinghaven. The vision also states that a lot of nuisance is experienced in those two places. For example, residents around the Veilinghaven are bothered by noise and waste. Swimmers also climb onto boats and jetties.
Emission-free
From 2030, it will be prohibited to sail motorboats on the Utrecht city water, and tourists passing through will no longer be welcome if they do not have an electric motor. The ban will be introduced in phases, and Utrecht residents must switch to electric sailing from 2025.
The vision includes more future bans. For example, a night-time canoe trip on the Oudegracht is prohibited. Sailing is only allowed on the city water in Utrecht from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Shipping company Schuttevaer has been providing boat trips through the Utrecht canals for decades. This icon of the Utrecht tourist industry is in danger of suffering the same fate as stall sellers in Utrecht also fear. They had a permanent place in the city for years. However, their place now has to be put out to tender, and there is therefore a chance that they will lose that place.
The same will happen with the moorings of tour boats. These permits will also expire after five years in the future, after which a new permit must be applied for. New entrepreneurs can then compete for the berths. Schuttevaer may therefore disappear from the city.
Traffic lights on the water
In the long term, the alderman wants to introduce one-way traffic on the Oudegracht. All vessels, including canoes and SUPs, may only sail from north to south. Because this decision causes problems for larger yachts and work vessels, they are allowed to continue sailing in both directions. These ships cannot sail over the canals because the bridges there are too low. To avoid confusion at the Stadhuisbrug, which is a narrow tunnel for boats, a traffic light system is being installed there.
Tap the fingers
And then one more remarkable proposal from the City Water Vision. To prevent people - especially young people - from jumping off bridges over the Merwede Canal in the summer, those bridges are covered with asphalt that hurts bare feet.
The city council will soon discuss the City Water Vision. If adopted, implementation could start in 2024.
Would you like to read more about the plans? The City Water Vision can be found on the municipality's website.
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