The Bergen Municipal Urban Environment Agency uses strange logic when they are now asking for money from motorists who park in the very few parking spaces at Åsane Arena. Until now, motorists could park for free at the gigantic facility, which in itself is one of the largest multi-purpose facilities in the country. The main hall houses over 2,000 active people each day and offers, among other things, a football field, a climbing wall, a gym, a sand room, skating rinks, a squash hall, and a martial arts center. In addition, the hall can accommodate 2,200 spectators, and the outdoor football arena can accommodate 3,700 spectators. All according to the arena’s website.
To eliminate the traffic associated with such activity, Bergen City Council expanded to 175 parking spaces. These were once free to use, but now there will be a limit to them. The Urban Environment Agency says the parking spaces may also be used by many for whom they were not intended. Spaces are often occupied during the day, and therefore the Urban Environment Agency believes that it is likely that employees in the area are the ones using the free spaces.
There will now be an end to that. Among those affected by the solution reached by the municipality, it is precisely those who have been allocated free parking. In order to get rid of foreign parking lots, future users of the facility will have to pay 10 times an hour if they are lucky enough to hijack one of the few places. This is how the municipality of Bergen sends the bill to many families with children.
One might suspect that the introduction of paid parking is financially sound. But in this case, this is not at all certain. As for the parking conditions at Åsane Arena, it has already shown good returns on the revenue side in the municipality’s accounts. Last fall, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina said that in the August-November period, 344 motorists were issued tickets in the August-November period. The total fine amounted to approximately 310 thousand crowns. Since then, everyone who has made the trip to the facility must record that the activity has not stopped. There is a short distance between fines outside the large facility in Sane.
Rather than the economy, perhaps the ideology behind the idea of charging for parking is from facility users. The city council has made no secret that it wants as few motorists as possible at the facility, and even encourages the use of bikes, walking, and public transportation to get to and from activities. It is not easy for everyone.
If the Urban Environment Agency’s theory is correct, most parking spaces at Åsane Arena will be empty in the future during the day. At the same time, the municipality imposes an additional bill on many visitors to the hall. It is hard to see that such a solution is particularly logical.
Especially since the paid parking will be valid around the clock. The municipality of Bergen should consider other possibilities to dispose of foreign car parks. One of them could be, for example, making paid parking limited in time, so that evening users can still get the free offer.
The users and spectators who visit the large facility in sane from the beginning have received a somewhat chaotic welcome when they come to the facility. Now it’s even worse, and the bill has been sent to families with children, among others.
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