Will Zagreb’s new parking system solve the city’s parking woes?

Zagreb – Zone 1

Zagreb is taking bold steps to solve its long-standing parking crisis. With a new block parking system set to launch on 26th October, the city plans to make it easier for residents to find parking and bring order.

The shortage of parking spaces for residents has been a longstanding issue in Zagreb. Privileged Parking Permits (PPK) are one way to assist residents with registered addresses within parking zones.

The cost of a PPK is €13.30 per month for Zone 1, €5.30 per month for Zone 2, and €3.30 per month for Zone 3.

For years, however, Zagreb has faced an unsustainable situation. In Zone 1 alone, 13,776 PPKs have been issued, despite only 8,035 available parking spaces in that area, covering the Lower and Upper Towns.

In other words, there are over 5,000 more permits than actual spaces.

In response, the City of Zagreb has recently introduced several measures to regulate parking. Initially, the city reorganised the rental of parking spaces for hospitality terraces, freeing up approximately 300 spaces.

Subsequently, a review of reserved parking spaces created an additional 300 available spots.

The initial proposal for the block system was put forward in July for public consultation, receiving around 320 suggestions and objections from residents. Many of these were accepted, and yesterday, the Mayor of Zagreb announced that the finalised block system would be implemented from 26th October.

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

Based on residents’ feedback, Blocks 2, 3, and 4 have been merged, and various minor boundary adjustments have been made. A map of the approved blocks, following the public consultation, is included with this announcement.

In addition to adjusting the block boundaries, the City Assembly last week amended the general terms of Zagrebparking. These changes now allow residents to select an adjacent block in the same or a lower payment zone when purchasing a PPK. However, it is important to note that each resident may only choose one block.

Furthermore, following suggestions from the public consultation, PPKs will no longer be available to property owners within the payment zone unless they have a registered residence there.

Also, from mid-November, the payment times for parking in Zone 1 will be extended.

On weekdays and Saturdays, charges will apply until midnight, and on Sundays until 3 pm.

“All these changes aim to make parking easier for residents and to bring order to Zagreb’s parking system, which has been neglected for decades. The results of our measures are already visible; by revising reserved parking spaces, we have freed up over 300 spots in just one month, which is equivalent to constructing a public garage the size of the one at Lang Square,” said Mayor Tomašević.

Additionally, the City of Zagreb is currently constructing a new public garage with 350 spaces at the Paromlin Centre and is designing another with 800 spaces on Klaićeva Street.