Kuurne (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Kuurne sold 14 unused parking meters to Kortrijk for €55,000 (70% of the original cost). Mayor Francis Benoit and Alderman Chris Delneste emphasised that blue zones benefit residents and businesses.
As VRT News reported, the municipality of Kuurne, in the province of West Flanders, Belgium, has sold 14 parking meters that have been unused for several years. Recently, the municipality found a buyer for them. They mentioned that the sale allows the local government to recover part of the cost.
What happened to Kuurne’s 14 unused parking meters sold to Kortrijk?
Officials mentioned that they wanted to improve enforcement of the blue zones, where parking is limited to 2 hours, but the council soon decided not to use them. Officials said the system was too complicated for many drivers, so the meters remained unused in storage.
“Checking the blue discs by parking attendants is much more efficient,”
says Mayor Francis Benoit (CD&V).
“Moreover, the machines would be a headache for residents, as they would have to register their license plate number every time, send a text message, or use the app.”
Alderman for Mobility Chris Delneste (CD&) said that keeping the blue zone in the city centre is a clear request from local businesses and residents.
“Without blue zones, long-term parkers would take over the city centre spaces, leaving customers without a parking space and leaving the peripheral parking areas underutilised.”
He mentioned that the blue zone makes sure parking spaces are available for visitors and shoppers. Since the municipality no longer planned to use the new parking meters, Kure put them up for sale last year. The manufacturer refused to take the meters back, so the city had to find another solution.
“We quickly reached an agreement with a municipality that wanted to buy three of the 14, but that fell through,”
says Benoit.
The city of Kortrijk bought the parking meters for 70% of the price Kure originally paid. The total received was €55,000. Officials said selling the meters was the best way to recover part of the investment.
“We’re happy to have been able to sell this bad purchase,”
says Benoit
“Kortrik has extra machines at a lower price, and we were able to recoup a large portion of the purchase price. We will now invest that money in road safety,”
they said.
In 2024, the municipality of Kuurne bought 14 new parking meters for about €100,000 to improve enforcement of the town’s blue-zone parking system. At the time, the council planned to renovate the town centre.
