St. Petersburg Debates Free Parking Near Social Facilities
The Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg has once again put forward an initiative to organize free parking zones in the city center near clinics, schools, and other social facilities.
In December, deputies sent a corresponding inquiry to Vice Governor Kirill Polyakov. They pointed to Moscow«s experience, where special signs are placed at healthcare and education institutions, allowing round-the-clock free parking.
«Residents are forced to pay for expensive parking sessions when they come from various parts of the city for doctor»s appointments or to drop off and pick up children,«explained the faction.
As an alternative, it was proposed to introduce for each St. Petersburg car owner a monthly limit of free hours for parking in the paid zone, which could be used when visiting social institutions.
However, the city administration rejected the initiative. In the received response, it is stated that creating free zones could be legally risky, economically inefficient, and does not meet the principles of targeted social support.
The Parking Management Center (TsUP) noted that Moscow«s pilot project, launched in 2023 near three medical institutions, was not expanded and, according to their information, did not prove effective.
The main problem, according to officials, is the inability to accurately determine who is using the parking space.
«The unique feature of St. Petersburg is the high density and functional mixing of urban development, where multiple objects are simultaneously located in paid parking zones,»explained TsUP.
This creates high risks when preferential spots are taken not by clinic visitors but, for example, by employees of neighboring business centers, which would lead to worsened traffic conditions and budget losses.
The head of the transport commission of the Legislative Assembly, Alexei Tsivilev, agrees with the social significance of the idea but points out the difficulty of control.
«If we simply allocate parking spaces, they will be filled by 7 a.m. by people who have no relation to clinics,»he believes.
«90% of the time it will be so.»
Yabloko deputy Olga Shtannikova confirmed that the administration issue is complex.
She detailed the proposal about the free hour limit, suggesting to tie it to specific institutions.
«For example, this limit could be 5–10 free, that is, non-fineable hours per month,»says Shtannikova.
«...you can choose that you want to spend your limit of free hours at such and such a school.»
According to available information, the city administration is studying possibilities for targeted provision of benefits, for example, through integration of the parking system with electronic registration in institutions.
Alexei Tsivilev gave an example of the future operating mode of parking in Pesochny, where preferential parking is planned to be provided with tickets from the registration desk.
Olga Shtannikova emphasized that the faction counts on a full dialogue with the executive authority.
«They write about economic inexpediency. ...But for us as deputies, it is more important that there is a balance between economic expediency and convenience for citizens,»she stated.
