Mehmet (not his real name) has a disabled parking spot at his home. This spot was specially created for him because he has difficulty walking. His license plate is displayed on the sign. So, his car should be parked there. Yet suddenly, a fine appears on the mat. And another one. And then another.

Mehmet does not understand it. He simply parks in his own spot. Yet he receives fines because, according to the system, his car is not allowed to be there. His grandson tries to reach the municipality. He calls. He fills out a form and asks to be called back. But there is no response. Meanwhile, worries increase. Mehmet only has a small pension and state pension (AOW). Paying the fines and hoping it will be resolved later is something he can hardly afford. They decide to contact the National Ombudsman.

License Plate Change

We ask the municipality what is going on. It soon appears that a license plate change was reported years earlier. The sign on the street was properly updated then. But the change was never properly processed in the digital parking system. When the municipality later switched to a new system, the error was not noticed. The scanning car did not recognize the new license plate assigned to the disabled parking spot. And so the fines followed.

Fines Withdrawn

The municipality reviews the situation again. All fines are withdrawn. The license plate is properly entered into the system. It is also ensured that no more collection letters are sent. But the story is not quite finished yet.

No Response

The error was not only in the system. Communication also went wrong. The grandson had reported several times but was not called back. Because the fines had been withdrawn, the municipality assumed the problem was solved. Only Mehmet himself did not know that yet. The municipality therefore calls the grandson after all. An explanation and apologies follow.

Big Consequences

The problem is technically small, but the consequences could have been big for Mehmet. If letters keep coming and no one responds, an error quickly feels like something you can no longer do anything about.

Contact Helps

I often see that a problem at the government starts with a small mistake but grows bigger due to silence. A phone call or explanation can then make the difference between frustration and trust among citizens. Sometimes being heard is just as important for citizens as being right.

 

This column appeared in De Telegraaf on March 14, 2026. The person in the photo is not the person in the text.