Prague: Parking management in the city centre

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Country:

a) CEE and Baltic States

b) Czech Republic

Language:
Type:	Project, Policy, 1
Area:	Inner City/CBD , > 1 million
Actors:	Local government
Funding:	Local government, Other
Topics:	Mobility and transport
Objectives:	Increase non-motorised mobility
	Increase use of public transport
	Reduce car mobility
Instruments:

Abstract:

Between the years 1992-1996, a new system for restricting and reorganising parking was introduced in the centre of Prague. This system was based on market principles, and an area of 3 sq. km in the city centre was set aside to provide about 9,000 parking places. Provision was made for vehicles to be parked for varying duration, i.e. short term (< 2 hours), medium-term (> 2 but < 6 hours), both types for visitors (public), and reserved parking for local residents and institutions accessible only with a parking card. At the end of the first four months, some positive results emerged, namely that some new parking spaces were created, which allow restriction of the traffic and improvement of the air quality.  Other benefits are more opportunities for pedestrians to walk freely in the area and convenience for those who need to park there. Sufficient revenues were raised to afford economic independence in the area where the parking lots are situated, and to carry out further control and maintenance of the road network. A new “Law on Roads” came about in 1997, and subsequently municipal decrees were issued.

The project and the policy implementation can be considered as best practice because:

• an innovative approach was implemented using a market-based parking organisation with a private operator;
• as a result of the project, changes in the legal and regulatory system came about;
• the number of the cars parked in the city centre was efficiently regulated and reduced.

Background and objectives

Vehicular traffic in Prague city centre has been systematically regulated since the end of the 1960s. One of the first important local actions was the regulation of car parking in the Old Town Square (in the historic heart of Prague). Modification of the parking regime in the entire historic centre was carried out between 1960 and 1970. It aimed at organising and regulating car parking, decreasing the number of parking places, reducing car traffic, and increasing the flow of municipal transport. In 1971, the volume of car traffic in central Prague reached unbearable levels. The project, ”controlled parking zones,” started at that time and was later renamed, ”restricted parking zones”. With the introduction of these zones, reserved parking spaces were made available on publicly accessible roads / areas so that individual users’ demands for car parking were met. These users were mainly residents and disabled people with their own cars, businesses and institutions with company cars, taxis, visitors, and supply and loading goods vehicles who could park their cars in public, short-term parking spaces, or pay to park.

The efficiency of regulated car parking in the first half of the 1980s resulted in a 20% decrease in the volume of private car traffic at entrance points to the zones. The number of cars parking without permits amounted to 27% in the daytime and 19% at nights; of those vehicles, 11% in daytime and 5% at nights exceeded the time limit. Also, 15% of visitors’ vehicles in the short-term (2 hour) parking area exceeded the time limit.

In the 2nd half of the 1980s, the function and efficiency of parking zones began to decline for the following reasons: the discontinuation of Co-operative Service Prague (a supervisory body) without any substitution by another supervisory and control body, the ending of public short-term parking areas for visitors and their transfer to residents’ use, and the cancellation of resident parking charges in restricted parking zones.

Between 1989-1992, the car parking regime in restricted parking zones was still valid, but compliance with the regime was not enforced. The drivers’ lack of discipline escalated, together with the number of offences; the development was uncontrolled and led to a break-down of the restricted parking zones. At the beginning of 1992, a restricted parking zone was established in a simplified form on the left bank of the river in the historic heart of Prague in the district of Mala Strana and Hradcany (area of 2.4 sq. km).

Between 1992-1997, there was insufficient control on restricted parking zones. A change in the understanding of the value of land, including roads in Prague’s centre, led the Transport Department and the Police to decide to change the existing parking regime in the city centre. The main idea was to suspend all the restricted parking zones, and to replace them with a new system based on market principles using a modern automated way of keeping records on parked cars and payments of parking charges.

The following objectives were set for the introduction of a new system:

• to limit long-term car parking on the road network of the city centre, and in this way, to facilitate the development of public transport;
• to introduce order and rules into the city centre parking regime, which relates to an improvement in air quality and to the reduction of noise and vibration;
• to retain access to the city centre by private cars for shopping and for business purposes, and accordingly to increase the use of public transport;
• to effectively organise car parking places for residents to the necessary extent;
• to raise funds for control and supervision of the new transport regime; for maintenance, repair, and improvement of the conditions and appearance of the road network, and for the construction of multi-storey car parks;
• gradually to transfer long-term parking in the central area to multi-storey car parks through a suitable financial policy;
• to reduce the number of road signs in the city centre;
• to reduce car mobility and increase pedestrian movement.

Implementation

Project date and status

Privatisation of car parking began in March/ April 1997 when Evropark Praha, a joint stock company, became the operator for the pay parking zone. The project is ongoing.

Strategy

The strategic approach was to introduce a new parking system based on market principles and using modern automatic means of keeping records on parking cars and payments of parking charges. An operator was selected by the Municipality to perform all activities. This was an international French joint stock company which created its Czech subsidiary to operate the system locally. The operator undertook all preparatory steps and provides all services, while the city provides supervision and imposes penalties (as they can be performed only by state or municipal police according to Czech law). Prague City Hall shares the profit with the operator, and all new proposals from the operator need approval from the City Hall.

The strategic approach includes the following measures :

• regulatory measures for limiting long-term parking (introduction of strict control and supervision in the city parking regime),
• financial instruments (punishments, fines).

Activities

In a public tender, an operator for the ”pay parking zone” was selected with the remit to prepare and operate the system.  In the course of preparing this new system, the administration of some short-term parking places for public use was transferred to private persons/entities.  A Municipal Police Force was established, amongst other things, to supervise car parking. Small amendments were made to the then current legislation, e.g. clamping of illegally parked vehicles.

At the end of April 1996, a pay parking zone of about 3 sq. km was established on the right bank of the river in central Prague. Evropark Praha joint stock company became the operator of the pay parking zone. There are about 9,000 parking places, sub-divided into three basic types, in the zone:

• the ”Orange zone,” originally designed for about 1,500 places (17% of all parking places in the zone), provides short-term parking for visitors (public) until 2 p.m.
• the ”Green Zone,” originally designed for about 1,200 places (13% of all parking places), provides medium-term parking for visitors (public) until 6 p.m. Both the green and the orange zones are equipped with parking meters.  
• the ”Blue zone,” originally designed for about 6,000 places (70% of all parking places), and reserved parking for local residents, institutions, and companies located in the zone. The blue zone is accessible to drivers with a valid parking card issued by the zone operator. Control and supervision in the ”pay parking zone” is carried out by the operator and the Municipal Police.

Control in the ”pay parking zone” is carried out by the Municipal Police, who have a legal authorisation to fine for parking against the applied rules. The Operator assures parking surveys, giving the municipal authorities and the Municipal Police information on system behaviour and functioning.

Partners

The project was initiated by the Council of Prague City. The project itself concerns the central part of Prague (mainly the District of Praha 1) and was undertaken by the operator, a joint stock Czech company. The main partners are Prague City Hall and the joint stock company Evropark Praha a.s. The public was supportive as the changes provided by the project are undoubtedly positive for all.

Financing and resources used

Local means were used, provided by the operator. No municipal means were used. The total cost was about 1,644,000 ECUs, which was mainly used for elaborating the project, for purchasing and installing pay-and-display machines, and traffic signs.

Results and impacts

The following conclusions were reached from an assessment of the pay parking zone system by the operator after the first four months:

• new parking places were created for all types of parking,  
• the revenues provide for an economic independence of the zone.

Based on this assessment, some measures for making the operation of paid parking zone more efficient were adopted. The most important change was a new Law on Roads, which came into force on April 1, 1997, and subsequent municipal decrees. Prague City Hall passed the following important arrangements in the regime of the paid parking zone after the operators proposal:

• the number of parking places with parking meters decreased, and, on the other hand, the number of parking places for residents and other subscribers with parking cards increased a little (this change was brought about during April, July and September 1997)

Experiences with the zone to the end of the year 1997 showed that:

• the capacity of parking places in the zone in the peak hours (10 a.m. - 6 p.m.) is now practically exhausted, the average occupancy is about 90%,
• the lack of discipline in drivers is high and increasing, with only 36% of drivers respecting the rules.

The number of cars coming into the zone in the period April 1996 - December 1997, grew by about 22% (partially because the possibility for cars to access roads in the area was renewed).

Barriers and conflicts

Some obstacles during the implementation of the project were due to:

1. Inadequate legislation:  Before 1997, no law defining how to proceed with parking regulations existed. The new Law on Roads, which came into force on April 1, 1997, allows municipalities to introduce paid parking zones for cars. This law was completed in parallel with a new decree from Prague City Hall.

2. Insufficient control and supervision

1. Share of profit:  The share of profit is stated in the contract between Prague City Hall and the operator. The operator obtains a certain proportion of the income from parking (about 5.5-7.5% of the revenues), and is paid for its contractual services. The Prague City Hall receives the rest. A part of this sum is then given to the City District Praha I administration.

Some of the problems which occurred during the project were:

• parking rules were insufficiently observed, i.e. by 72 % (6/96) and 58% (10/97) of parking users in the blue zone; by 40% (6/96) and 21% of parking users in the orange, and by 40% (6/96) and 30% (10/97) in green zones (streets with parking meters). The average period of parking in the reserved parking zone is 3.0 - 3.3 hours, and 2.1 - 2.7 hours in the orange and green zones (06, 10/ 97).
• the mass media attacked the legal basis of the whole system and encouraged a disrespect for the rules in the zone.

In summary, the project problems are:

• Control and supervision over the zone are ineffective.
• The paid parking zone does not fully fulfil its regulating function because of the low control efficiency.
• Legislation for parking in the paid parking zone is not yet clear enough, and still needs further legal improvements.

Lessons learned And transferability

The project has demonstrated that it is possible to develop parking restrictions by this approach, and it could be further applied to other CEE cities where there are similar problems.

During implementation, conclusions were drawn about different ways of regulating parking measures. It can be said that the necessary conditions for the efficient functioning and organisation of car parking include:

• adequate legislation;
• efficient control and supervision;
• a generally accepted, and ‘reasonable’ proposal for the solution of car parking;
• a suitable way of discussing project proposals with the public.

Source of Information

Personal Communication: Dana Juraskova, December, 1998.

Tresl, J. Parking restraint in the centre of Prague in the past and at present; in: EA.UE: Urban transport in central and eastern Europe, Berlin 1998

Contact:

Cities:

Prague :

Today the Capital of the Czech Republic is rapidly linking with its past as one of the central European metropolises with the neglected inner city being rapidly modernised to a high standard. The centres of the administration, business, shopping, culture, education, services, and of the newly emerging post industrial economy are all located within the city. Thus, the project area is in Prague 1 - Centre.

City population: 1,205,000; centre - 41,000.

Area of the city - 496 sq. km, centre - 5.5 sq. km.

Population:

Project was added at 29.06.1998
Project was changed at 05.03.2001