Parking chaos in central Minsk: Residents unable to park their cars near their homes
The Onliner.by editorial office was contacted by Evgeny and Mikhail with a problem that, according to them, worries not only them, but also their neighbors. We are talking about houses No. 33 and No. 35 on Komsomolskaya Street in Minsk, or rather, about courtyard parking lots near these houses. The fact is that the nearest parking spaces in the city center are paid. And those who want to save money or simply have not found a better option go to "free" yards, which creates inconvenience for local residents.
"Residents can't leave their cars in their own yard"
Evgeny spoke about the parking problem in his yard. Even during working hours, when you'd think there would be plenty of space since everyone is out running errands, it's impossible to walk or drive through the yard.
"My neighbors and I have a big problem: our yard is the only one in the center of Minsk without a barrier. As a result, residents who come home for lunch can't even leave their cars in their own yard," the reader shared. "From 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, there's no space at all in the yard, not even for an ambulance to pass, but in the evening and on weekends, you could dance there."
According to Evgeny, residents have contacted the Minsk City Executive Committee about installing a barrier.
"This territory belongs to the city, and our yard is adjacent to the territory of a government service, which is why we can't install a barrier," the reader said.
"You can't walk to the playground with a child"
We also spoke with Mikhail, a reader who lives in the same area.
"Of course, we've talked to people who park their cars in the yard, and we've done it repeatedly. They usually react in one of two ways: either they don't pay attention at all, or they say, 'What can I do? There's nowhere else for me to park.' Some people might be swayed by the fact that you'll call the traffic police, but others don't care," Mikhail commented. "Sometimes you can't walk to the playground with a child because absolutely everything around the perimeter is blocked. And the same cars are usually parked there. These are people who work somewhere nearby. They come, park their cars for the day, and leave."
"It's sometimes hard to throw out the garbage during the day. You just can't get to the garbage cans because there are cars everywhere. You're not going to put the garbage bag on the car," Mikhail noted.
According to Anastasia, the situation on Lenina Street, number 15, is more or less the same as on Komsomolskaya Street: a lot of cars on weekdays during working hours and, as a result, difficulties with parking.
"In the morning, I take my child to kindergarten, but when I come back home at 8:30 AM, I can't park my car. I either have to park in violation of traffic laws—that is, block someone's road and be ready to run out and move the car—or park in a paid parking lot on Karl Marx Street, if there's a free space there," the reader shares. "In our yard, there are actually about ten cars. We would all have enough space if it weren't for our guests."
According to Anastasia, the residents also tried to install a barrier, and they even installed it, but it was dismantled two weeks later.
"When parking rates increased, it became just terrible in our yard—impossible to drive in at all."
The reader said that they tried to talk to the drivers to somehow resolve the situation in the yard.
"They say, 'Where else can we park? We need to come to work, too. If we're bothering you, I'll move the car—you drive out, and I'll take your place.' They come here exactly from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. And at that time, it's simply impossible to drive through the yard, but at 5:05 PM, everyone leaves. On weekends, everything is fine, great: there may be 3-4 cars in the whole yard."
According to Anastasia, drivers park their cars very close together—so close that it's impossible to approach or throw out the garbage.
"You just can't get to your entrance because sometimes the distance between the cars is 20-30 centimeters. They block the passage and sometimes drive right up to the door of the entrance. If you have a child in your arms, you have to squeeze between the cars to get home. I won't even mention the playground, because it's not even safe to be there. There's constant traffic."
"The yard is turning into a public parking lot"
Another reader told us about the problems of a capital yard, which is located on Independence Avenue.
"On weekdays, the yard turns into a public parking lot. There is a 'No Entry' sign at the entrance from Kiseleva Street, but, as throughout the center, drivers ignore it in most cases. It's useless to talk here. The situation is complicated by the fact that most of the apartments in the house are either rented out or occupied by pensioners who won't get involved in all this," the reader says. "There are the most cars on weekdays. The situation is a little better on weekends, but sometimes the yard is full. Although not as much as on weekdays. After 8:00 PM, the yard gradually empties and you can park your car."
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