The German Association of Towns and Municipalities disagreed: “We don’t think it’s right to demand this in such a general way,” said DStGB traffic expert Timm Fuchs. “In large cities with very good local transport services and good connections to the surrounding area, other solutions are possible than in many of the 11,000 municipalities in Germany where there is enough parking space. Around 120 medium-sized centers in Germany are not connected to the Deutsche Bahn network. To go shopping, to see a doctor or as a commuter, many rely on the car. The retail trade in the city centers should also remain attractive. “Charging flat-rate parking fees and the amount of a day ticket for local transport is not the right solution,” said Fuchs.

The DUH queried the parking fees in 104 cities, including all major cities and the five largest cities in each state. In 73 cities, parking in parking zones is possible for 1 euro or less per hour. “At 4.60 euros per hour, Stuttgart charges the highest fees of all the cities surveyed, but only directly in the city center.” Outside the “City” zone, parking is “ridiculously cheap throughout the city at 1.10 euros per hour”. In every fourth city, free parking in parking zones is possible for a short time, the association criticized. Only Heidelberg and Osnabrück consistently demanded parking fees of at least 3 euros per hour in their parking zones.

According to the DUH, parking in Koblenz and Frankfurt an der Oder starts at 25 cents per hour. In Chemnitz, Cottbus, Duisburg, Magdeburg, Neubrandenburg and Stralsund, “public space in many areas is sold for just 50 cents an hour.”

The German trade association HDE called for positive incentives instead of making individual modes of transport unattractive. “Many inner cities are currently facing major problems and are in danger of becoming deserted. It can’t be the right way to make customer traffic more difficult and expensive,” said HDE CEO Stefan Genth. No city center can survive without attractive and vital retail.

This is also what drives the city of Radolfzell on Lake Constance, where the DUH has its national office. Retail, gastronomy and service providers must remain competitive, for example with a view to online trading, said Mayor Monika Laule. Many commuters are also dependent on cars, partly because of poor local transport connections. A bus ticket in Radolfzell costs 1 euro, a parking ticket in the city center 1.40 euros per hour, a monthly ticket 30 euros.

DUH traffic expert Robin Kulpa said that craftsmen, parcel carriers and ambulances benefit from reasonable parking fees across the board. They are stuck in traffic jams day in and day out because the number of cars keeps increasing. A stop must finally be put to this development.”

In large cities, craftsmen today have great problems finding parking spaces for their vehicles, said Franz Xaver Peteranderl, President of the Bavarian Crafts Day and Vice President of the Central Association of German Crafts. Higher parking fees could perhaps provide more parking space for craftsmen in public spaces – they would not have to pay a parking fee with a craftsman’s ID. But additional costs for craftsmen would only increase prices for customers, he warned.

The ADAC expressed reservations. “The amount of the parking fee should primarily be based on the prevailing parking pressure,” the club said. “Fee increases – if necessary – should be moderate and socially acceptable.”