At the site of the parking garage construction in Brno, four wrecks remain; work will begin in three weeks.

visualization: Atelier Kristen

Brno – The last four wrecked cars remained today in the parking lot at the corner of Veveří and Šumavská streets, two weeks past the deadline by which owners were supposed to tow their vehicles away. Representatives of the city and the municipal company Brněnské komunikace today ceremonially launched the construction of a parking garage, which is set to be completed by the beginning of next summer and will offer 411 parking spaces, and there will be an additional 212 spaces outside in the parking lot. The company will take over the construction site in three weeks. The city and its municipal company will pay over 374 million crowns for the construction, meaning each parking space will cost approximately 600,000 crowns, as stated in the press release from the city hall.

Inside the garages, there will also be 21 spaces designated for electric cars, with the possibility to increase the number of spaces and chargers if needed. Some of the rooftop spaces are also reserved for gas vehicles, which are generally not allowed to enter the garages.

While the four-story parking garage will serve regular paid parking, the outdoor spaces will be part of the residential parking system in zone B. Visitors can park for free for the first hour, and pay 30 crowns for each additional hour. The city has planned a parking garage at this location for several years. It is suitable for the Park&Ride system, as the four-lane road from the north coming from Svitavy, Blansko, or Kuřimi ends here, and there is also high demand for parking due to the proximity of administrative buildings.

According to councilor Petr Kratochvíl (ODS), the relatively poor condition of the unmaintained parking lot with partially unpaved surfaces will also change. "The asphalt surface will be complemented with greenery, tree avenues will be planted along Pod Kaštany and Veveří streets, and a water feature is planned for the small square at the intersection," said Kratochvíl. Vines will partially adorn the facade of the parking garage. Some of the new buildings will also house city hall offices.

The city had already commissioned a study in the middle of the last decade to identify where it would be possible to build parking lots or Park&Ride-type garages on the outskirts of the city, but only two parking lots are currently in operation. The first was created at the Central Cemetery, where a parking lot already existed earlier, and the second is at Zetor in Líšeň. The city hall has been focused on building parking garages in the historic center or on its outskirts, making it nearly impossible for commuters from outside Brno to park their cars on the edge of the city and continue by tram.