Yekaterinburg mall hikes overnight parking price dozens of times

The Akademichesky shopping center has devised a radical way to deal with residents of the area who leave their cars overnight in the mall«s parking lot. The cost of using the parking facility at night has been sharply increased. They are now asking 10,000 rubles (about $111 at current rates) for one hour between 00:00 and 08:00, while the entire night will cost 80,000 rubles (about $889 at current rates).

As explained by the shopping center«s administration, this was done to guarantee parking spaces for visitors of the cinema and restaurant. Those who present a receipt can use the parking lot under the previous conditions. For everyone else, the measure has been introduced for the duration of the cold spell, when the air temperature drops below -15°C (5°F). During warmer weather, the price will remain the same (1,000 rubles, or about $11 at current rates, per night).

Residents of the district have already reacted with outrage to the new rule.

«We are looking for a place to park our cars during the frost and are willing to pay 1,000–2,000 rubles (about $11–$22 at current rates) per night, but the Akademichesky shopping center has its own vision of how to help citizens,» wrote one local resident.

This is not the first time something like this has happened. Previously, the shopping center introduced an exorbitant price tag for those who live in neighboring buildings and leave their cars in the Akademichesky parking lot.

Due to abnormal frosts in Yekaterinburg, schoolchildren were switched to distance learning and tram traffic restrictions were introduced. We covered how the city is enduring such weather in our online broadcast.