One in Seven Parking Spaces at Risk

Up to 14 percent of urban on-street parking spaces could disappear in the coming years – because cars are getting longer and wider.

The reduction of parking spaces in blue zones impacts life in urban neighborhoods: It leads to increased traffic searching for parking, makes everyday life more difficult for families and service providers, and can further compromise road safety.

During July, temporary traffic signs were erected on a small residential street in the city of Bern to announce roadworks. However, these works were limited to removing numerous parking spaces in blue zones – even though the number of parking spaces already falls far short of demand and the local vehicle fleet.

It is estimated that more than 11,000 parking spaces have disappeared in the five largest Swiss cities – Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, and Bern – in the last ten years.

One has to assume that the politicians who developed and implemented this strategy of reducing parking spaces—supposedly to promote sustainable mobility and achieve climate goals—don't live in these neighborhoods.

Ultimately, drivers foot the bill—and doubly so. Cities sell parking permits for the blue zones, which allow residents to park there. In principle, this makes sense. However, when demand already exceeds supply and more and more parking spaces are being eliminated, this system increasingly resembles a mere revenue stream.

Residents are doubly penalized by increased police enforcement. Drivers who park their vehicles outside the designated parking zone are fined—even though these very areas were recently marked as regular parking spaces.