Want to get parking place – pay for it!

You left your car at a paid parking and forgot to pay for it? You will have to pay several times more! Now unfair drivers must pay fines. "The city center is equipped with 13 grounds for paid parking, including parking areas for tourist transportation, - says Oleg Bereza, leader of Lviv Municipal Enterprise "Lvivavtodor" - to leave your car at any of these sites costs 4 USD / hour for cars and for tourist transport - 20 USD / hour. According to the rules, the user must pay for the service in the parking machine go back to his car and put a check for payment on the windshield. But too many drivers ignore this and do not pay for parking. " Our city lost almost 2 million USD in 2014 because of the irresponsible drivers. With such amount of money could equip 23 children's playgrounds, to overhaul 4 schools, lay 4 km bicycle paths in Lviv or finance other important projects. City allocates funds for the operation of Lviv Municipal Enterprise "Lvivavtodor", so the smaller income company receives from the parking services, the more it stands out for the funds from the local budget. Lawyers of Lviv Municipal Enterprise "Lvivavtodor", social activists of the movement "Let us go" and union “Samopomich” do their best to solve parking problems. “According to the law, violators have to pay a fine in the amount from 136 to 204 USD. There are such a penaltie in Europe too. Thus, adopting the European experience, we solve the problems that have been existed in our city over the years. Working together, we realized that it is better to do than to wait and lament. "- says social activist Oleg Blinov. From October 2014 the Municipal Enterprise "Lvivavtodor" started file a report on administrative offenses on the facts of non-payment and parking on places for the disabled. Every day special committee of employees controls whether drivers paid for parking services. "If there is no receipt about payment on a car windshield, the Commission makes a photo of the number with the fixation of violation then take written explanations from the witnesses about accident  - says Anna Dubyk, Legal Adviser of the Lviv Municipal Enterprise "Lvivatodor". Later, a request is sent to the traffic police to find the owner of the car, than administrative fees sent the offending protocol to owner of the car directly. The administrative committee determines whether to impose a fine or not. In total there are about 20 cases of failure to pay on parking places for disabled. Traffic inspector must inform the driver that he or she could be fined. "In order not to break the law the violator have to receive the copy of the explanation of his or her rights - continues Anna Dubyk. - In addition, inspector put a note under wipers of a car that says that the driver has committed administrative offense for which he will be fined, and the telephone number is indicated Lviv Municipal Enterprise "Lvivavtodor." Every day people are calling to us, some of them are justified not paid for parking saying it was not intentionally, but because they thought parking was for free or they just come from another city. For such offenders an officer allows to pay for parking service (=4USD/hour) as it was the first violation. If a person is does not call he or she will receive a fine". The fines paid by violators, fill the city's budget and encourage drivers to learn the culture of parking even on paid parking places. "Before payment percentage parking services reached only 30% instead preferred at least 90%, - says Oleksandra Paniak, head of the campaign "Safe City". - The reason for that – is impunity. Now drivers will know that they had better to pay 4 UAH in parking machine rather than pay a fine. This will help city to develop".