Baar has a new parking concept

The municipal council recently adopted the new parking concept. This concept now divides the parking spaces into four zones, and the parking charges in the centre will increase. The opponents of this concept are convinced that it will harm local businesses.

The aim was clear: to make the patchwork of different systems for the management of parking spaces more uniform by means of a new parking concept. This concept has now been adopted by the Baar municipal council. The 1,260 parking areas of the municipality are now divided into four zones.

The four zones are referred to "short-term", "core zone", "external zone" and "leisure facilities".

• Short-term parking: These include parking spaces that are located near shopping centres, such as in the area around the station square or the Büelplatz. You can park here for a maximum of half an hour, and this costs 50 Rappen (CHF 0.50).
• Core zone: This includes the parking areas in the town centre, from the Büelplatz to the Zugerstrasse. The local council assumes that these places will be primarily used for shopping and for visits to restaurants. Cars can be parked here for a maximum of two hours, paying 50 Rappen for the first half hour and 1 franc for each additional half-hour. If you park your car in the core zone, you will thereby pay twice as much after the first half hour as previously. This increase in the parking charge met with early criticism.
• Outer zone: This includes parking spaces that are located at municipal facilities such as schools or the cemetery. The maximum parking time is six hours, and costs 50 Rappen per half hour.
• Recreational facilities: Parking spaces located, for example, near the Lättich or in the Jöchler area may be occupied for 24 hours. You have to pay 50 cents for half an hour, or CHF 5.00 for a day ticket.

Parking can still be free at night and at noon. According to the municipality's communication, permanent parking overnight will be prevented by the management times, with parking being subject to a charge from 6 a.m.

The parking meter at the community hall in Baar
Photo: Stefan Kaiser (19 January 2021)

As a result of the feedback received during the consultation period, 15-minute short parking is also free: those who use a parking space for only 15 minutes do not pay any fees. "By allowing the first quarter of an hour parking to be free of charge, we want to promote local trade," emphasises Zari Dzaferi, head of the Security/Works Service department. The same goal is followed by the limitation to 30 minutes of parking time in the short-term zone. As a result, the local businesses will benefit from a quick turnover of the parking spaces, and thereby more walk-in customers.

Criticism from several sides
Not everyone is convinced by the new concept. The local SVP (Swiss People’s Party), in particular, was critical from the start – and remains so. Like many other affected people, the party was able to make its points at the consultation last summer. Did the party think the proposals have been incorporated? No, finds Adrian Rogger, President of the Baar SVP, who writes:

"The response of the municipality to feedback from the consultation is a farce, and is completely unrealistic."

According to the announcement, the municipal council wants to promote local businesses by allowing parking free of charge the first 15 minutes, "although it knows full well that 15 minutes is never enough for purchases, errands and a coffee," says Adrian Rogger. The party also finds it outrageous that fees are being increased in the core zone, despite 639 Baar residents signing a petition against an increase. "The SVP has warned from the outset that such increases are poison for the industry."

The representatives of the Baar ALG (Alternative Left and Greens) are also "irritated". In their opinion, there would have been an opportunity to charge a usage-based fee for the use of public space, while at the same time steering consumers towards more pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as well as promoting the use of public transport.
ALG President André Guntern writes: "With the newly introduced free parking time of 15 minutes, however, the local council is doing exactly the opposite: the free parking time is even a step backwards from today."

Unlike the representatives of the SVP, the ALG fears that this 15 minutes of free parking time will tempt people to quickly drive to the kiosk.

It was not possible to take all the requirements into account
Despite the objections, the local council is convinced about the new concept. Councillor Zari Dzaferi says: "The local council is aware that not all the demands of all the stakeholders, such as for higher or lower charges and management times, could be taken into account." At the same time, the municipal council is convinced that it has worked out a solution that is capable of winning a majority, that fulfils the objectives set for parking management and that contributes to ensuring that the available parking spaces are made available to as many Baar residents as possible.

The concept has now definitively entered into force with the adoption, and is expected to be implemented in the coming months.