Hofstra was born in 1946 in Groningen, and he studied railway engineering. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1994 to 2006, where he focused on traffic, public transport, and construction. He advocated for constructing new roads and improving public transport, and he was in favor of increasing the speed limit and implementing a system of distance-based road pricing. Hofstra was a member of the Senate from 2007 to 2011.[1] He died in 2025 at the age of 78 in Heerenveen.[2]