Table of Contents
Artis has big plans for the future, which were recently presented in ‘Masterplan 2030’. The zoo wants to increase the number of annual visitors from 1.4 to 2 million. There are also plans for a jetty, parking garage and a new service centre, 14 meters high. The plans are a disappointment to some local residents: “We don’t understand why Artis has to be such a megalomaniac. “
A group of Artis residents are particularly concerned about the impact of increased visitor numbers in their area. Local residents Hans de Jongh and Henk Meulink already see traffic jams with cars in the neighborhood on busy days. “Then Artis will become the second biggest attraction in the Netherlands. We don’t understand how you want to organize that logically,” says De Jongh.
Emil Polak from the Artis management team says that this is a ‘small growth’, which cannot be seen on busy days. It is expected to get busier on the current less busy days, especially during the week. “We want to attract a wider audience. There are still many people who don’t go to Artis, many schools who don’t go to Artis. We have a good story to tell about nature, so we want it to reach as many people as possible,” said Polak. According to him, the goal is not from an economic point of view.
Service center
De Jongh lives at the Entrepotdok, where he has a view of the zoo. According to the new plans, in a few years it will look over a 14-meter high service center, which the zoo needs for the energy transfer of the park and its employees. “There are now showers in the memorial buildings in the park, we would like to use them for visitors to tell our story,” said Polak. But De Jongh cannot understand why the center has to be 14 meters high. “We have spoken to experts, and they all say five meters at most,” says De Jongh.
There are also concerns about the plans to build a jetty and parking garage. “A parking garage like this naturally encourages even more people to go by car. And that’s against the city’s car-free intentions,” says Meulink, who lives right next to the Artis parking lot.
According to Polak, it will be a temporary parking garage that will be demolished when there are fewer cars in the city. He also says there will be no more parking. Part of the current parking area will be used to expand the park, these spaces will be compensated in the parking garage. An underground garage was too expensive.
Including the community
According to Meulink and De Jongh, the neighborhood has hardly been involved in the future plans. “We love Artis, and we also pulled our wallets when things went bad for Artis during corona times, but this is a slap in the face,” says De Jongh.
According to Polak, he is actually in talks with the community. “I go door to door with my colleagues,” he says. As for him, it is also expected to visit Meulink and De Jongh in the near future.
2024-11-17 21:28:00
#Local #residents #happy #Artis #future #plans #megalomaniac
What specific measures does Artis plan to implement to address traffic congestion and parking concerns from the local residents?
Hello and welcome to our interview regarding the future plans of Artis, the Dutch zoo. I’m pleased to introduce our first guest, Hans de Jongh, a resident of the Entrepotdok area, who has been living in the neighborhood for over 25 years. Joining him today is Henk Meulink, another local resident who shares his concerns about the potential impact of these changes on their community. We’re also joined by Emil Polak, head of the Artis management team.
Hans and Henk, you both seem to have strong opinions on the Artis’ masterplan for the future. Could you start by telling us what your main concerns are about the proposed expansion and increased visitor numbers?
Hans: Well, first and foremost, we’re worried about the traffic congestion that will inevitably result from these plans. The zoo is already a popular tourist destination, and we often see long queues of cars on busy days. We don’t want our quiet neighborhood to turn into a haven for tourists looking for easy access to the zoo. It’s simply not sustainable or enjoyable for the local community.
Henk: Exactly. The parking situation is already a mess on weekends. If they increase the visitor numbers to 2 million a year, it’s just going to get worse. And the proposed parking garage only adds to the problem. It’s against the city’s sustainability goals, and we’re concerned about the noise and pollution that will come with it.
Thank you for your points. Emil, could you address these concerns about traffic and parking?
Emil: Yes, of course. Regarding traffic, we understand the concerns of our neighbors. However, we have carefully planned this expansion to ensure that the increase in visitors isn’t overwhelming for the neighborhood. The vast majority of our visitors come by public transport, and we want to encourage more of them to do so. We also plan to invest in better traffic management systems to reduce congestion around the zoo. As for the parking garage, it’s true that it’s essential for our immediate needs. However, it’s not permanent. We plan to demolish it once there are fewer cars in the city, and we will use a portion of the current parking area to expand the park. Additionally
