Parking spaces Zurich Cantonal Council presents "historic parking space compromise"
"One parking space per residential unit" - this requirement is soon to be a thing of the past in the canton of Zurich. The Cantonal Council's Planning and Construction Committee presented a "historic parking space compromise" on Monday. It no longer places the car at the center.
01.07.2024, 14:23
01.07.2024, 15:20
SDA
The previous rule of "one parking space per residential unit" has already caused problems for some developers: for example, parking spaces had to be built in a senior citizens' housing estate even though the residents no longer drive a car.
The rule has also become a problem in urban densification projects. For example, authorities have already prohibited the addition of a storey because no additional parking spaces could be built.
The "historic parking space compromise" presented by the cantonal council commission is now intended to bring more flexibility. The key point is that the municipalities themselves determine how many spaces must be created on private land in the case of new buildings.
The number of parking spaces can be higher or lower depending on whether it is for retirement homes, family homes or other uses. This also enables low-car or car-free living throughout the canton. So far, such efforts have mainly been made in the city of Zurich.
The canton's only rule is that there must be no displacement into the public space. Anyone who wants to live in a car-free development should therefore not own a car and park it in public spaces.
Bicycle parking in the basement does not count
In addition, the topic of parking spaces should no longer be focused on cars, but should also include bicycles, e-bikes, bike trailers, cargo bikes and scooters. The word "motor vehicles" is to be removed from the law.
A bicycle parking space in the basement, for which the bicycle has to be laboriously dragged down the stairs, will no longer be considered a parking space and will not be granted a permit. Building owners must now explicitly create "easily accessible" spaces for two-wheelers.
28 million francs remain untouched
If developers were previously unable to build one parking space per residential unit for space or other reasons, they paid money into a fund in many municipalities. Around 70 municipalities have such a parking fund. They have a total of 28 million francs.
This fund will probably become superfluous one day because the municipalities will be able to determine the number of parking spaces themselves. Until then, however, it is still full to bursting. The original plan was to use the money to build a parking space "within a reasonable distance" or to promote public transport. In reality, the money mostly remained untouched in the pot.
With the planned changes to the law, the fund should now be able to be used more flexibly. It should generally be possible to use the money for "mobility projects". However, the bill does not specify what these are. The Greens criticize this. Nevertheless, they support the overall bill.
Even the SVP is on board
The SVP, the only party still vehemently committed to the interests of motorists, is also behind the compromise. The reason for this is that the municipalities can still decide for themselves where and how many parking spaces they consider appropriate. In addition: "Things were discussed in the commission that would have been even worse," said SVP cantonal councillor and commission member Peter Schick.
Because all parties are behind the parking space compromise, it has a good chance in the upcoming parliamentary debate. For commission president Barbara Franzen (FDP), it is therefore "the cutting of a Gordian knot".
It took four years to discuss the matter. During the consultation process, 700 pages of feedback were received. It remains to be seen when the Cantonal Council will debate the amendments to the Planning and Building Act.
