Vienna collects millions through parking fees - garages remain empty!

Vienna collects millions through parking fees - garages remain empty!

Wien, Österreich - Vienna generated income of almost 180 million euros in 2024. Of these income, 52 million euros flow into the expansion of bicycle traffic, while no cent is invested in the construction of new garages. This one -sided distribution has brought several critics to the scene, including the financial spokesman for the Vienna People's Party, Manfred Juraczka, and the spokeswoman Elisabeth Olischar. They criticize the traffic policy of the city government and call for a rethink when using the parcometer tax.

The Vienna People's Party has made suggestions that aim to expand the garage infrastructure, develop modern park-and-ride solutions and to optimize the flow of traffic. These demands are in the context of changing mobility landscape in Vienna, which is characterized by increasing urbanization and a falling number of drivers. More and more households, 47% in 2020, do not have a car that favors a change in the use of traffic.

challenges of parking space management

The topic of parking space management is not new. Already in the early 1990s, nationwide fees were introduced for parking cars in public space in Vienna. Park space management has been in place for all Viennese districts since 2022. The utilization of the parks has improved significantly through these measures, which has led to a reduction in search traffic and the kilometer traveled. During the last expansion of 94%, the parking space utilization in the morning fell to 66%, which demonstrates the efficiency of the measures.

Currently, the parcometer application no longer requires an electronic parking chip, since the tax direction is checked by a license plate comparison using OCR. This enables a faster processing time for digital application. A separate tariff applies to e-car sharing vehicles, whereby the users have to demonstrate CO2 emission values of 0 g/km.

public opinions and future prospects

A survey from 2021 showed that 56% of the population supports the extended parking space management. This result of the survey supports the argument that the current transport policy in Vienna is in the right direction, even if critics are calling for a stronger focus on the garage construction. Compared to other European cities, the parking fee in Vienna is relatively low at 2.2 euros per hour. An increase in fees could partially reduce car paths in Vienna by up to 30%.

As reports the [VCOE] (https://vcoe.at/poilations/vcoe-factsheets/decoe-factsheet-parkraumwirtschaft-fuer-Mobilitaetswende-Wenden-Wenden-Wende-Wende-Wende, a further increase in the population in Vienna will be predicted by more than 120,000 people. This requires forward-looking planning and possibly a differentiated parking space management that could further reduce the car kilometers in Vienna. For the Vienna city government, it will be crucial to redesign the use of the parcometer tax and to keep an eye on the needs of city dwellers.

Further information on the parking meter delivery can be found on the website of the City of Vienna .