The Vilnius City Council today approved changes to the order of parking spaces in the capital. After reaching more than 85% in many streets. peak occupancy rate from January 1. toll zone boundaries will be changed.
Such a decision aims to regulate traffic flows, disorderly parking at the approaches to the center and other parts of the city, as well as provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists, reduce the noise level in the city, air pollution, the use of personal transport, and promote alternative ways of traveling.
"We constantly monitor the occupancy of parking spaces - when the occupancy exceeds 85% during peak hours, the parking spaces naturally no longer fulfill their main function, and parking is chaotic. About 20 percent flow In the old town consists precisely of drivers looking for a place. The results of the occupancy survey show that during peak times the average occupancy is 88% in the red zone, 94% in most of the yellow zone, and 94% in the middle of the day. the occupancy of some of the streets in the green zone also reaches. The limits of all zones are adjusted where we see the highest occupancy to maintain an even distribution of traffic. We predict that after these changes in the development of the toll zones, the occupancy of parking spaces in the city could decrease by approximately 12 percent," says SĮ.Communication servicesDirector Modesta Gusarovienė.
The following major changes to zoning boundaries have been approved:
• Blue zone from now on, it will include the former red zone and part of the yellow zone at Lukiškės and Gynėjų Street, where the traffic has grown significantly over the past year.
• Red zone tampa Uzhupis, Old Town access from Pylimo street, Konstitucijos st. accesses where business centers are concentrated, the number of attractions is increasing, and the area between Gediminas Ave., J. Jasinskis and A. Rotund Streets.
• Yellow zone will include parts of Žvērynas between Latvii and Paribis streets, the area near the former "Audeja" center, Paupios quarter, parts of Naujamiestis and Šnipiškės up to Žalgiris street. Also in the yellow zone in the warm season from May 1 to September 30. become spaces near Valakampiai beach, Balsios, Balžios and Tapeliai lakes.
• Green zone becomes a part of Antakalnis around Sapiegi Park, which was also approved by the residents of these surroundings.
We remind you that the collected fee goes to Vilnius city municipalities the budget. For example, in 2018 12,4 million was collected from the toll. EUR, part of which went to the implementation of the automated traffic light regulation and control system, the maintenance and administration of the parking fee and the traffic light regulation and control system, the development of cycle paths and the organization of bicycle traffic, the installation of A lanes. The municipality plans to pay special attention to the city public transport for renovation, improvement of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and development of other alternative measures promoting mobility.
"When proposing changes to the order of parking spaces to the City Council, we constantly examine the experience of other European cities. They show that it is the changes in the local toll that help to regulate flows, reduce congestion and the time of searching for a free parking space - for example, in Vienna, the time of searching for a free space was reduced from 9 minutes. up to 3 minutes. We also rely on the approved sustainable mobility plan of the city, which states that the current parking regulations encourage long-term parking in the central area of the city. It is planned that after changing the boundaries of the toll zones, the flow of parked cars in the red zone could decrease by approximately 13 percent, in the yellow zone by approximately 23 percent," says M. Gusarovienė.
M. Gusarovienė adds that the survey of the opinion of drivers who pay the local toll for parking shows that only every 6th driver immediately finds a free parking space. Almost 70 percent surveyed drivers agree that the toll promotes order on the streets, and 74 percent. the parking place of the respondents was recognized by those choosing according to the distance from the parking place to the destination.