Prices for underground parking in Baku centre more than double

The Land Transport Agency has raised prices of underground parking in central Baku, putting car owners in a dilemma: to come to the centre in their own car, or to switch to overloaded public transport.

The LTA informed that from 1 April the price for parking under "Winter Boulevard" will rise to AZN 1 for 2 hours of parking, AZN 2 for 2-4 hours of parking, AZN 3 for 4-6 hours of parking, AZN 4 for 6-10 hours of parking, AZN 5 for 10-12 hours of parking and AZN 8 for 12-24 hours of parking.

At that, the monthly season ticket has more than doubled in price, although usually season tickets are cheaper, which is the point of buying a parking space for a month. A monthly season ticket for parking up to 12 hours a day will cost AZN 80 per month instead of 30 manats. A twenty-four-hour parking ticket will cost AZN 120 per month. For owners living nearby - AZN 50.

Parking under "Azadliq Square" has become even more expensive. From 1 April drivers will be charged AZN 1 for 1 hour of parking, AZN 2 for 1-3 hours of parking, AZN 3 for 3-6 hours of parking, AZN 5  for 6-12 hours of parking and AZN 10  for 12-24 hours of parking.

The price of a monthly parking for 12 hours of parking per day has also gone up - from AZN 50 to AZN 100 per month. Twenty-four-hour parking season ticket will cost AZN 140 per month. For those living nearby - AZN 75.

"The reason for such an increase in the price of parking services, which are on the balance of the Land Transport Agency of the Azerbaijan Republic is still unknown, but we have sent a request to the Agency to explain such a sharp rise in prices to citizens. For comparison, we note that in neighbouring Georgia an hour of parking costs about 62 qepiks in our money, 6 days of parking costs 2 manats 50 qepiks, a six-month season ticket costs 15 manats 67 qepiks, a one-year season ticket costs 31 manats 34 qepiks," said Timur Rzayev, an expert in the field of urban transport.

It has to be kept in mind that in recent days in pro-government media and blogs there have been publications justifying the rise in the price of underground parking. The authors claim that it is "not an ordinary car park, but a special zone" because it is located in the city centre. These publications plant the idea that privileged employees of state organisations located in the centre of the capital (Baku Serious Crimes Court, Baku Main Police Department, Interior Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs...) should be provided with empty parking spaces, as these people are busy with important state affairs.

In the social network, Baku residents discuss the innovation, debating the inevitability of expelling by high parking prices from the centre of Baku "the pathetic remnants of the middle class, unbeaten by the devaluation of 2015, as well as the pandemic and inflation of 2020-2023.... Now Baku's cramped streets and underground car parks will be freed up for owners of flashy Lexus, Infiniti, Ferrari and Maserati.... And a million office plankton will go to the overloaded underground and buses and push and squeeze other "horseless" fellows in misfortune".

Being aware of plans of the authorities, readers report that the streets below Winter Boulevard will gradually turn into purely pedestrian streets, and accordingly parking spaces will be in catastrophic shortage. This will solve the problem of the actual owner of the permanently half-empty car parking below Winter Boulevard.

It is also reported that according to the General Development Plan of Baku, multi-level car parks should be built along the perimeter of Azerbaijan Avenue - Winter Boulevard - R.Beybutov Avenue.