Will your stay in Hel be more expensive? They’re fed up with free parking

Hel is one of the most famous seaside towns. Tourists come there for holidays from various corners of the country to enjoy the sandy beaches, the famous sealarium and the homely atmosphere. The summer season is just starting, and for some locals this is a cause for concern. They draw attention to free parking lots, which in their opinion should be paid.

The end of free parking in Hel? They want change

Local government officials from Hel want to collect parking fees in their town on weekends and holidays. As the city has less than 100,000 inhabitants. inhabitants, in accordance with the provisions of the Act on Public Roads, the fee for parking in a paid parking zone is collected there only on specific working days, at specific hours or 24 hours a day. Many people don’t like this and complain about the tourist traffic.

The mayor of Hel, Mirosław Wądołowski, notes that the accumulation of car tourist traffic is greatest on holidays and non-working days, and this could be a chance to make money on it or discourage some visitors. “Additional revenues from parking fees will allow small towns to allocate money for the construction of new parking spaces, reconstruction of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, greenery and other activities. This solution will not make holidays or vacations more expensive, because the restrictions that apply to municipalities do not apply to non-public areas, and parking fees are collected every day on these areas,” the mayor noted.

Changes in parking in Hel. The authorities will decide

Whether the current situation in Hel will change will depend on the decisions of the current authorities. They are to decide whether smaller cities, such as Hel, will be able to charge more for parking. “It should be up to the local authorities, regardless of the size of the commune, to decide how to organize paid parking zones every day of the week,” said the mayor of Hel, proposing changes to the regulations.

It is known that an appeal prepared by the chairman of the Hel City Council, Marek Chroń, was sent to the Ministry of Infrastructure. It was also supported by the Association of Maritime Cities and Municipalities. “We have been raising this issue for years, because in larger towns with over 100,000 inhabitants inhabitants, there are downtown paid parking zones, but they cannot be introduced in smaller towns. That’s why we appealed to the Ministry of Infrastructure, we had meetings within the Parliamentary Infrastructure Committee on this very issue, so that we could introduce paid parking zones in smaller towns outside the hours that apply today, i.e. also on weekends and holidays,” says Marcin Makowski, quoted by the Local Government Portal. director of the office of the Association of Maritime Cities and Municipalities. The request is under analysis.