The controversy concerns Nijmegen’s three zero-emission zones: the city centre, Heijendaal and Hof van Holland. The restrictions apply to business vans and heavy goods vehicles that do not meet the entry requirements and do not have a valid exemption. The municipality has said the long-term goal is to allow only zero-emission vehicles.
Fines issued before the city had the green light
According to local reports, Nijmegen issued penalties for several months based on detections from its camera system. The problem, as reported, is that the municipality had not yet received the formal approval required for this type of camera-based enforcement.
Local media first raised the issue, prompting a response from city politicians. So far, there has been no official figure for how many penalties are being questioned, nor any confirmed total value of the fines issued.
Refunds should not depend on appeals
Local politicians want all wrongly issued fines to be voided and the money returned, including in cases where a driver or business owner did not file an appeal.
Because the penalties were generated from camera records, the municipality should be able to identify which vehicles were affected. Businesses, they argue, should not have to prove individually that a fine was issued during a period when camera enforcement allegedly lacked the necessary authorisation.
There are also unanswered questions about additional costs, including administrative fees, increased penalties and expenses incurred while submitting appeals.
Three zones focused on commercial vans and trucks
Nijmegen has introduced three zero-emission zones covering the city centre, Heijendaal and Hof van Holland. The rules do not apply to passenger cars, but to vans and trucks used by businesses.
Some vehicles fall under transition periods, exemptions, or can apply for an individual permit. The city also provides businesses with a tool to check a registration number and a process for submitting entry requests.
Penalties vary depending on the vehicle category. Industry organisation evofenedex says that in the Netherlands the fine is €120 for a van and €300 for a truck, with possible additional administrative costs.
Automated enforcement needs a solid legal foundation
Zero-emission zones are typically policed using cameras that automatically read licence plates. The system checks a vehicle’s details against the zone requirements and whether an exemption applies.
This approach makes it possible to monitor large volumes of traffic without officers on site, but it also reduces the chance of catching errors before fines are issued. If the system is launched without completing the required formal steps, the impact can spread quickly across a large number of operators.
The Nijmegen case underlines that enforcement is not only about cameras, signage and a database of eligible vehicles. It also requires the full legal framework for processing data and issuing penalties.
Nijmegen still needs to clarify the scale
Key questions include how many drivers were wrongly fined, the exact period during which the penalties were issued, and how much money has already been collected.
It is also unclear when the city discovered the missing approval and whether automated enforcement was stopped immediately. For businesses, the crucial point will be how refunds are handled: automatically, or only after submitting an appeal.
Until the city provides an official explanation, carriers and operators who received a fine for entering one of Nijmegen’s zones should keep the decision notice, proof of payment and any other correspondence related to the penalty.
The long-term background to these restrictions is the wider push to accelerate the shift towards zero-emission vehicles, as manufacturers and operators face tightening climate targets and compliance risks.
