Plzeň today opened a parking garage, primarily to alleviate the city center from cars

Plzeň - The large Rychtářka parking garage near the historic center began serving motorists in Plzeň today. The parking garage was established in the Czech Republic as the first PPP project of public-private partnerships. The construction, costing 250 million crowns, was built by a private investor, and the city will pay him 18.5 million crowns annually for availability over 19 years, while all revenue from parking for the 447 parking spaces and eight bus spots will go to the city treasury, said the mayor's deputy Petr Rund (ODS) today.
    "As the building is constructed, it is already owned by the city from the beginning. It cost us not a penny. The investor has an obligation to maintain it for the full 19 years and then hand it over to the city as new, without defects and operational errors," he stated.
    The main goal of the parking garage, which is just a few minutes' walk from the central square, is to get as much traffic out of the historic center as possible. This should be aided by the set parking prices, which are lower than those on the streets in the center. Basic hourly parking will cost ten crowns during the day in the parking garage, and half that at night. For 12 hours of parking during the day, motorists will pay 60 crowns, while the same period at night will cost 40 crowns. In the streets of the center, motorists pay 30 crowns per hour for parking during the day in the historic core, and 20 crowns in the broader center.
    In addition to parking spaces, the building also offers 1,950 square meters of commercial space, which the construction investor can rent out. If there is interest from motorists, there are plans to include charging stations for electric vehicles.
    The new facility was built by the Prague company Hermosa Parking Plzeň. According to the city hall, the PPP project is seven percent more advantageous for the municipality than if it had built and operated the parking garage on its own.