New parking policy is to extend residential parking to new areas to cover all the territory of Žilina by the end of 2027. The extension is a major change and should be communicated based on facts, this is one of the conclusions of the first ParkPad audit meeting. The pilot area to start the extension has been chosen a residential area Hájik, situated at the western part of the city where the new residential regulation starts in October 2024. To initiate the discussion with the citizens a supportive data collection system on traffic load has been designed by the project partner CityOne and has been co-designed with the Department of mobility and presented at the second ParkPad audit meeting. The system has been successfully procured and deployed by the end of April 2024.
The purpose of the system is to:
- Provide a dashboard on Facts and Figures (traffic statistics to public as well as politicians) to enhance communication and public consultation
- Provide an analytical tool for evaluation and decision making for parking measures
- Provide useful data for NXTLVL citizen driven event on parking policy in the Hájik area
- Enhance digital culture based on open data with the aim to provide Hájik citizens with basic statistics and a comparison with other areas (adjacent areas)
The system consists of 10 profiles monitoring covering the area of Hájik, adjacent areas of Závodie, Bánová and Priemyselná, and two main entrances/exits in the area; the direction from the West and direction from the city centre, see the map.
In May 2024 the first session with citizens of Hájik area was held. Many participants asked for data relevant to resident parking regulation extension. When introducing the regulation in October 2024 the city is preparing a public dashboard with significant findings and trends to show the impact of the regulation on traffic volumes as a showcase for further extension. In September 2024 the city is to undergo a night time parking occupancy survey to get the information on the parking status before the regulation. It is also creating a special questionnaire for citizens on potential local actions to prepare a citizen driven activities. In Spring 2025 the city is heading to have a digital registry of bike parking facilities (both public and private) to enable comparison of car and bike parking and promote sustainable mobility alongside with parking regulation.