We need to make a stop: uniform requirements will be offered for paid parking
The deputies of the State Duma proposed to establish uniform days for all regions of Russia, on which no fees will be charged for the use of paid parking. At the same time, regional and municipal authorities will be able to set additional free days at their discretion. Experts ambiguously assess this initiative. The details are in the Izvestia article.
Parking without charge
Amendments to the law "On Highways and on Road Activities in the Russian Federation" have been submitted to the State Duma for consideration, providing for the introduction of days throughout the country when fees for using paid parking will not be charged. The document has been published in the legislative support system of the Parliament.
According to the draft law, the use of paid parking lots will be free for car owners "on Sundays, as well as on non-working holidays established by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, days to which weekends have been postponed <...>, Saturdays following a non-working holiday or the day to which the day off has been postponed." It is planned that this rule will apply to paid parking lots located on public roads of regional or inter-municipal importance. At the same time, regional authorities will have the right to set additional free days at such parking lots.
Similar rules will apply to paid parking lots located on local roads. However, the municipal authorities will also have the right to introduce additional days for which parking will be free.
The authors of the document note that there are now different rules in the regions regarding parking fees on Sundays and on public holidays. In some cities, such as Moscow, this scheme has been working for quite a long time. In others, you have to pay for parking on any day, regardless of whether it is a holiday or not.
"This leads to a situation where motorists from different cities and regions are in unequal conditions, which causes confusion and discontent among citizens. The introduction of uniform rules will eliminate inequalities between regions," the explanatory note to the document says.
According to the same rules
Valery Soldunov, a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and chairman of the All-Russian Society of Motorists, considers the deputies' initiative reasonable. This will allow all drivers to understand when parking is paid and when it is not, regardless of which region of the country they are in, he notes.
— We have a big country, many regions. Therefore, certain limits related to the operation of paid parking should be unified," Valery Soldunov told Izvestia.
He also supports the idea of giving regional and municipal authorities the right to set additional days on which there will be no charge for parking a car in a paid parking lot, for example, taking into account local or religious holidays. According to Soldunov, a "minimum set" of days is needed when fees will not be charged regardless of the region, and a more precise fit should be left to the discretion of the local administration.
"If the authorities of a particular federal subject or city consider it possible to increase their number, they should certainly have such a right," said the chairman of the All—Russian Society of Motorists.
Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, also believes that the "minimum set" of weekends and holidays with free parking should be common throughout Russia. But to expand it with additional days or the introduction of lower or even zero tariffs for parking at night is the prerogative of regional and local authorities, the expert believes.
— The rules of paid parking may now differ even in Moscow and the Moscow region, despite the fact that, in fact, it is one transport system. In addition, car tourism has been actively developing in our country lately. A motorist who is used to the fact that parking is free on Sundays and weekends in his native region may well be fined upon arrival in another city without paying for parking just on the machine. The introduction of free parking days common to all will help to avoid such situations," Maxim Kadakov emphasized.
"Regions don't need additional frameworks"
Igor Morzharetto, a member of the Presidium of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, considers the introduction of uniform rules and free parking days common to all regions to be unnecessary. In his opinion, the regions do not need additional limits and restrictions on the regulation of paid parking.
— Paid parking is primarily a mechanism for regulating traffic flows. And the situation is much better seen on the ground. After all, even though Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Sevastopol have the general status of cities of federal importance, the transport situation in each of them is completely different, with its own characteristics. The introduction of uniform rules for the operation of paid parking without taking into account these features may eventually do more harm than good," Igor Morzharetto believes.
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