Stopping in a parking space with your hazard lights on while someone collects a parcel still requires paying for parking, the Noord-Holland District Court has ruled.
The decision followed a challenge by a Hoorn resident who contested a fine issued last year near a local ANWB shop. The man had waited in the vehicle with his hazard lights flashing while his daughter went inside to retrieve a package containing a USB adapter.
He argued in court that the stop counted as loading and unloading rather than parking. Under the Municipalities Act, loading and unloading or letting a passenger quickly enter or exit a vehicle is not classified as parking.
The definition of loading goods
Judges rejected the man’s argument, stating that the exemption covers only the physical act of transferring items directly into or out of a car. Waiting in the vehicle while an errand takes place elsewhere is legally considered parking, regardless of the duration.
The court also noted the small size of the item. Legal loading applies only when goods are heavy or bulky enough that keeping a car stationary is necessary to move them.
Because the small parcel did not meet those criteria, the court ruled that the fine was properly issued and ordered the driver to pay.
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