Parkraumbewirtschaftung

Parking space management in Freiburg isn't a socialist idea; it's a green one.

Elisabeth looks out of the window of my study.

When 2001 Red Baron moved from Geneva to Freiburg, our family had two cars. Since the landmarked house in Unterwiehre, built in 1904, that we moved into didn't have a parking space, I bought a garage in a modern building in the neighborhood.

For the second car, I acquired a resident parking permit from the city for the street for  60 Deutschmarks* per year. However, finding a parking space near my apartment was difficult, especially in the evenings. I often had to park the car in a hospital parking lot about 500 meters from my apartment, pick it up before the early shift the next morning started, and park it near my apartment.
*the equivalent of 30 euros

In 2007 we moved to a new apartment building in Mittelwiehre. The purchase included an underground two-car garage, but soon we only had one car.

 

With tears filling our eyes, we gave away our beloved red Golf to be scrapped.

My apartment is on Freiburg's outskirts, just outside the managed parking area. As a result, the toll-free space on the street in front of my apartment block serves as a parking lot for all kinds of vehicles. People come from far away, park their cars, and then take the streetcar to the city center.

Until December 2022, the resident parking permit remained cheap at €30 a year, but then the Freiburg City Council raised the annual fee to €360. There was an outcry, but it soon died in the car-hostile town after the City Council softened its parking fee ordinance with socially acceptable financial cushions for families.

Click to enlarge

The city's coffers are pleased with the additional revenue, and since it is well known that appetite comes with eating, other areas of Freiburg are now to be included in the parking space management system.

 
Red Baron looks forward to the street in front of his apartment block (Zone 5) becoming part of the parking space management.

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