Avoid the fine – zonal parking returns to Tbilisi

JAMnews

Tbilisi

Due to the lack of public transport during the two-month period of stricter coronavirus regulations, the Tbilisi mayor’s office temporarily canceled hourly parking and made it free.

Starting February 10, however, the paid system will be working once again.

What is zonal parking

The zonal parking model is part of Tbilisi’s new transport policy aimed at removing traffic jams on the streets. The rising cost of parking is forcing drivers to often leave their car at home and walk or use public transport.

The Tbilisi City Hall first launched a pilot project for zonal hour parking on August 1, 2019.

Only one street was chosen as a pilot – Kote Apkhazi, or the former Leselidze street, as well as nearby streets.

Then, in 2020, this project was gradually launched in two central districts of Tbilisi – Saburtalo and Vake.

List of streets

Where does the new parking system operate?

● Saburtalo:

From Zhvania Square to Beijing Avenue, Mitskevich, Tsintsadze and Bakhtrioni Streets (to the intersection of Gamrekeli Street), as well as Kazbegi Avenue – from Kartozia Street to Beijing Avenue, Vazha-Pshavela Avenue (from Beijing Avenue to Asatiani).

As for parking spaces, there are 1,039 zonal parking spaces in the Saburtala region: Kazbegi Avenue – 371 spaces; Beijing Avenue – 209 seats; Vazha-Pshavela Avenue – 305 seats; From Bakhtrioni street to Gamrekeli street – 52 seats; From Sulkhan Tsintsadze Street to Gamrekeli Street – 31 places; From Adam Mickiewicz Street to Gamrekeli Street – 71 seats.

● Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi:

Part of Baratashvili, Kote Abkhazi and Abano streets, as well as the area around Orbeliani square.

● Vake:

There are 1,629 zonal parking spaces in the region.
The system of zonal hour parking in the Vake district was distributed as follows: Ilya Chavchavadze Avenue – 41st; Ateni Street – 12 seats; Nino Ramishvili Street – 8 seats; Nugzar Sajaya Street – 56 seats; Levan Mikeladze Street – 62 seats; Tengiz Abuladze Street – 27 seats; Nikoloz Kipshidze Street – 53 seats; Mikhail Tamarashvili Street – 29 seats; Kakutsa Cholokashvili Avenue – 31st place; Archil Mishveladze Street – 81st place; Irakli Abashidze Street – 316 seats;

Mtskheta st. – 79 places; Shrosha Street – 22 seats; Ioanna Kutateladze Street – 8 seats; Vasil Barnov street – 50 seats; Near pl. Taras Shevchenko – 39 places; Korneli Kekelidze Street – 101 places; Zakaria Paliashvili Street – 299 seats; Ekvtime Takaishvili Street – 15 seats; Napareuli Street – 21st place; Rafael Eristavi Street – 11 seats; Bazaleti – 10 places; Didi Mirtskhulava Street – 26 seats; Dmitry Arakishvili Street – 42 seats; Otar Taktakishvili Street – 21st place; Lado Kavsadze Street – 17 seats; Nikoloz Berdzenishvili Street – 28 seats; Ilo Mosashvili Street – 111 seats.

Zoned parking areas are marked – in letters and numbers in the Latin alphabet. For example, A007.

The Latin letter stands for the zone category (A, B, C), and the number stands for the lot or place number.

How do I use zonal parking in Tbilisi?

To use zonal parking, smartphone owners must download the Tbilisi Parking application from the Play Store or Apple Store. Go through registration, add your car’s license plate and then click the ‘top up’ button – and you can easily add a bank card and top up your balance.

Then, when you’re in the zoned parking lot, open the app and mark the zone and lot where you have parked your car.

From the second you enter this data, the parking time will start.

What if I don’t have a smartphone or my phone is dead?

In this case, it will be more difficult for you to use zonal parking, but it is still possible – every 50 meters from the parking there are fast payment machines, where you can also pay for parking.

However, when paying with a machine, keep in mind that parking times will not be rounded off by minutes, but by half an hour. This means you have to pay more. You also need to calculate well how much time you need – for example, if you pay for half an hour and leave the car for 40 minutes, you will be fined.

How much is zoned parking?

Parking costs one lari [about 30 cents] per hour. The first 15 minutes for four stops per day are free. If you park your car in zonal parking for a fifth time, then you have to pay for the first 15 minutes.

If I live next to a zonal parking lot, do I have to pay?

No. In this case, you are entitled to free parking.

Zonal parking is free:

● for citizens living within a radius of 100 meters from the zonal-hour parking

● persons who have real estate within a radius of 100 meters

● drivers of a vehicle whose owner lives near the parking lot

● Owners of electric vehicles

● Persons with disabilities

● Category A taxi license holders (so-called white taxis)

Local residents or property owners must register to receive free parking on the website www.tp.ge, where, after registering with an ID card, their property and cadastral code are marked.

And if I work and park in a zonal parking zone, I still have to pay for it?

More or less. Because if you do not live in the area and only use the parking space because of work, you will not enjoy benefits and will have to pay.

This is one way Tbilisi City Hall is trying to make citizens use private cars less and use public transport.

What if I parked my car and forgot to turn on the app?

In this case, the fine is 50 GEL [about $15], the violation will be recorded on video, and you will receive a message on your phone.

Will you have to pay 25 lari again for parking for six months?

Tbilisi drivers pay 50 GEL per year (or 25 GEL every six months) for parking in the capital.

This fee is not canceled and is valid to this day, and the fee for zonal parking will be taken additionally.

This fee will not be canceled, since the system of zonal hourly parking will not be implemented on all streets of the city, says Viktor Tsilosani, head of the Agency for Transport and Urban Development.