While parking is what bothers people living and working in Bratislava probably more than anything else, it is still unsure when a city-wide parking policy will be introduced. After Bratislava Mayor Matúš Vallo introduced the policy on April 11, 17 of the city’s boroughs are now discussing the related, generally binding regulation (VZN), a regulation necessary for the launch of the parking policy. The city council plans to discuss and approve the rules and regulations of the parking policy in June. The parking policy is planned to be launched as of 2021.
10 things you need to know about the new parking policy in Bratislava Read more So far most of the boroughs have approved the draft document but four have expressed disagreement. Some borough councillors have asked to postpone the adoption of the regulation.
“I’m afraid that if we postpone it, we will end up in a situation where we will be in the middle of the [four-year election] term and we will not adopt it at all as there will be no political will for it,” said Vallo, who was elected to his post at the end of 2018 for four years, as cited by the TASR newswire. He is promising to include the relevant changes proposed by the boroughs in the final wording of the regulation.
Ružinov, Petržalka, Karlova Ves, Rača, Dúbravka and Devínska Nová Ves have okayed the draft regulation providing it meets their requirements for strengthening city transport, the cooperation of the city and the boroughs in increasing parking places, increasing the staff of the municipal police, securing adherence to the parking rules and others.
The Old Town (Staré Mesto) borough as well as Nové Mesto, Vrakuňa and Podunajské Biskupice have rejected the document.
Vrakuňa and the Old Town object to what they see as the lack of financial analysis and impact studies as well as the breakneck pace at which the policy is being put to the vote.
Other boroughs have not decided about the document yet.
As of May 22, the general public will have 10 days to comment on the draft regulation.
Four zones and residential cards
The city-wide parking policy is scheduled to be introduced in the first zones suffering from the biggest parking problems as of 2021. The city council proposes the creation of four fee zones, where parking is to be charged at €0.50-2 on an hourly basis. City residents are to be issued parking cards and are expected to pay €49 per year for their first car per household, €150 for the second and €500 for the third.
Bratislava will be waiting for a new parking policy until at least 2020 Read more Vallo has already proposed dividing the fee for the first residential card as well as reducing the fee for the second residential card. The city council wants to set the price level for the residential cards in accordance with the parking policy in order to reduce the number of cars in the city, lower emissions and improve public space. Simultaneously, it should not be too much of a burden on Bratislava families.
“People want to keep free parking as it is now, but this is not right,” says Vallo. “I am trying to persuade people that this way won’t work.”
