Debrecen4U December 3, 2024

László Papp: The assembly made decisions that significantly affect the whole city and the agglomeration

László Papp explained in the Debrecen Television’s Public Affairs programme why the decision was made to transform the city’s parking system, in response to a question from Zsuzsa Keserű, editor-in-chief of the programme. 

“Many cities in the country and abroad have already decided to introduce a zoned parking system.

In my opinion, Debrecen has also reached a stage in its development where parking as a regulatory tool needs to be more effectively and more fully involved in addressing transport challenges, which is why we decided to transform the city’s parking system into a zonal parking system, “ the Mayor said.

He highlighted that previously, the paid zones in the city were expanded in small steps. These were all done at the request of the public, and through the representatives public suggestions were received that it was very difficult to stop in a given street, since it was not a paid zone and everyone wanted to park there. This made everyday life difficult for the people living there, which is why the decision was made to establish zoned parking.

“The last fee increase was in 2023, this year we did not change the parking tariffs. In 2025, parking prices will change in two steps, from the 1st of July, and the price of public transport passes from January. Until now, if someone lived in a paid zone, they could use a discounted parking pass for a maximum of one car, for 6 thousand forints per year. Since the paid zone system in Debrecen will be significantly larger and we should not give the residents the feeling that the local government is asking for money to park in front of their own house, we have therefore decided that one car per two people per apartment can park for free in the paid zone, near their place of residence,” the Mayor stated.

What was previously paid for and for one person will become free for two when the new rule comes into force. 

“We hope this will promote more efficient use of public transport. In 2025, we will start the construction of a P+R car park in the southern part of the city, and in parallel, using TOP Plus funds, in the northern part of the city,” he pointed out.

In the southern part of the city, a car park with a capacity of 400-500 cars is planned, which could be expanded, and in the northern part of the city, a car park is being considered.  

“On the one hand, we want to alleviate the traffic congestion in the city centre and in the downtown areas. This should not make it difficult to access the shops in the city centre, so the Széchenyi Street car park will be free to use from Friday evening until Monday morning,” he said. 

One of the primary goals of the parking transformation is to get more people to use DKV services. 

“This year alone, the city’s public transport company has increased its mileage by 400,000 kilometres, and by the end of next year we will be approaching 10 million kilometres a year. In the coming years, we want to continue to focus on route consolidation and faster, more dynamic transport. In addition to the fare increase, the revenue from tickets and season tickets will cover only 40 percent of the operating costs of the city’s public transport, 60 percent of which will be provided by the city,” he highlighted. 

In connection with the Főnix Housing Programme, the number of people who can benefit from this support has been extended. The scheme, which is aimed at addressing the housing market situation in the city, will start in 2025 and will support access to housing for young people under 35 years old in Debrecen who are in the market sector, through a shared commitment scheme. One third of the rent is provided by the municipality, one third by the employer and one third by the tenant.

The innovation is that the 200-housing scheme will be extended to public sector workers. 

According to a survey by ingatlan.com, Budapest has a price of 1.4 million HUF per square metre, followed by Debrecen at 813,000 HUF per square metre. The Főnix Housing Programme is currently being launched in Debrecen, the only one of its kind in the country, from the city’s own budget.

The mayor pointed out that the Főnix Housing Programme will not magically solve all the problems, but it can help young people step by step to get a better deal on housing. 

“The housing issue is an absolute priority in Debrecen, and the General Assembly has recently taken several decisions to allow housing construction to start in different parts of the city. Thousands of new apartments are planned,” he said.

Source and photo credit: dehir.hu