The key facts

  • The LDPR proposes giving regions the power to determine cases of free parking due to weather
  • The reason was appeals from citizens paying for a parking lot whose exit is blocked by snow
  • The party also demands enshrining mandatory rules for cleaning and repairing parking lots

The essence of the proposal

The LDPR has proposed giving Russia's regions additional powers to determine cases when parking fees are not charged due to weather conditions. The explanatory note to the draft bill was obtained by Gazeta.Ru. Under the authors' plan, regions would have to establish on their own a list of weather situations — for example, heavy snowfall or a downpour — under which parking would not be charged.

The party's motivation

LDPR chairman Leonid Slutsky explained the initiative by a stream of appeals: according to him, the party receives hundreds of messages from drivers who, in bad weather, pay for parking and then discover that the exit is blocked by snowdrifts and have to clear the way with improvised means while the fee continues to accrue. «We believe that people should not spend their family budget on such inconveniences,» the outlet quotes him as saying.

Additional demands and context

In addition to waiving the fee, the LDPR proposes enshrining mandatory rules for clearing snow and litter from parking areas and repairing their surface. «If an owner charges money for parking, he must provide conditions in which a person can freely park and drive out,» Slutsky noted. Against the backdrop of this initiative, Gazeta.Ru also recalls two related news items: at the end of October, Russia's Ministry of Transport prepared a draft bill under which cars could be towed only after a digital notification is sent to their owners, and earlier in Russia the myth about taxi drivers' record earnings was debunked. It is still unknown whether the government will support the very idea of «weather» discounts on parking — the publication does not report the position of other factions or relevant agencies.