All news
"A Car is a Privilege": Journalist on Why Drivers Are Required to Pay for Parking
There are more paid parking lots in Tyumen, which naturally irritates city residents. Who would like it if a place where they never paid a penny in their entire lives now costs 300 rubles a day? Our journalist Anatoly Kuznetsov is a driver, but he thinks. Yes, it is expensive and not very pleasant, but the driver will have to pay.
No matter how much some car owners like it, progressive and modern cities should introduce paid parking to become better. Especially since Tyumen residents always have an alternative if they don’t have enough money. All about this in his column
I am one of the lucky ones and in the cold season I get to my office near the Drama Theatre by car. Of course, the expansion of parking is also annoying. But what is even more annoying are the people who militantly oppose the expansion and parking in general. In today's Russia (and around the world), cars seem more of a privilege than a necessity. If you want to travel around the city in comfort for yourself and your loved ones, you will have to pay for it.
Paid parking is a common practice all over the world, it is introduced to relieve congestion in city centers, make them more environmentally friendly and push people to public transport - the main mode of transport for modern city dwellers. Cars make cities more dangerous, uncomfortable and dirty. You can read about this, for example, in the Urbanista sections (here or here).
In addition, the city treasury receives income from paid parking and fines for violations. This means that the money will be used to build new parks, buy new buses, develop transport systems and much more. From the beginning of the year until August 2024, more than 60 million rubles of the budget have been spent on paid parking. Enough for several square meters.
Drivers don't complain about having to fill their cars, right? Or service? Or do you buy insurance and pay taxes? Well, paid parking is a necessary expense for drivers all over the world. 30 rubles an hour is a feasible contribution to improving the city. Consider it your civic duty. And for some reason, we remember our rights more often.
"It's impossible to park in the city anymore," say opponents of parking. Well, I walked around the center during the day. There are always spaces in the paid parking! Naturally, no one goes there. I can understand the driver. If you leave your car at the daily collection points, you will receive 300 rubles a day or 6 thousand rubles a month. This is a lot of money for thousands of Tyumen residents.
But not all parking fees are so expensive. For example, the Drama Theatre has an underground parking lot, and from 9:00 to 18:00 you don’t have to pay for parking. Most often, I leave my car there. It costs 11-12 rubles a day. But for some reason, the parking lot is always empty. Do the numerous office workers in the center really feel sorry for 12 rubles? On weekends and after 18:00, the whole city is free. There are no problems getting to work and back home.
However, there is a free parking space, and there are many free parking lots nearby. Yes, it is worth being lazy and walking to the office for free not in 2 minutes, not 5-7 minutes.
Another common statement that is really hard to argue with is that people abandon their cars anywhere, park in the second row, and generally do whatever they want to avoid going to toll booths. Maybe it's a control issue. A tow truck is a little more, a fine is $5,000, and the offender will definitely think twice.
Tyumen has a well-developed public transport system. Yes, it certainly has its problems and there is something to criticize, but there are a lot of buses and the mayor's office regularly buys new ones. Getting to the center is not a problem for most residents.
After all, you don't have to drive a car every day if your financial situation doesn't allow you to pay for parking. You can rent a car only for the weekend, and use car sharing or a minibus to get to work. The villagers will only be grateful to you.