Tuesday, September 21, 2021
OB Palmer wanted more
First city asks SUV Parker to pay extra
Since July, municipalities have been able to set the fees for resident parking permits themselves. Tübingen, ruled by Mayor Palmer, is the first city to make use of it – and demands higher taxes, especially from SUV drivers. Other cities are already considering similar steps.
Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg was the first city to adopt a drastic increase in parking fees. Owners of a normal car should pay 120 euros for a resident parking card in the university city from next year, as the city climate committee decided on Monday. Drivers of heavy vehicles, so-called SUVs, on the other hand, should be asked to pay up to 180 euros. The socially disadvantaged should receive discounts. So far, a resident parking permit was 30 euros a year.
Mayor Boris Palmer of the Greens wrote on Facebook: “Subsidies for cars just have to stop.” Parking spaces in terms of construction, maintenance and space cost far more than the agreed 50 cents a day. Palmer sees the increase as a first step. He originally wanted to introduce parking fees that were twice as high, but failed at the local council.
This makes Tübingen the first city to use the option of setting fees for parking space itself. The parking fees were previously capped by law. Following the amendment to the Road Traffic Act in July, the federal states can now regulate their parking fees themselves or leave this to the municipalities. Other cities are also currently considering increases.