In January, a temporary parking ban was introduced in Bogstadveien. Nevertheless, the municipality charges for parking via EasyPark. At the same time, they have issued fines for failure to parry.
In the month after temporary parking ban signs went up in Bogstadveien, 1,052 fees have been imposed for incorrect parking in the popular shopping street.
This applies to the entire Bogstadveien, both the sections that have had a parking ban from 11 January, and sections where parking has always been prohibited. This means that the municipality has issued fees for almost NOK 900,000.
Now it turns out that several of those who have received a fee had paid for parking. One of them is Sofie Fjørtoft. On Monday morning she found a yellow note on her windscreen. This despite the fact that she had two minutes left of her parking time.
– I have paid for the parking, says Fjørtoft and shows the EasyPark app which shows that the parking time expires in two minutes.
– Haven’t you seen the signs prohibiting parking?
– I did not realize that it is not allowed to park here. I should have looked at the sign, but I’m here three or four times a month. When it is possible to pay for parking in the app, I think it is legal to park.
Bogstadveien was temporarily banned from parking after heavy snowfall at the beginning of January. This happened after several cars parked there stood in the way of the tram. Now the snow is gone. Therefore, the P ban will be lifted during Friday.
EasyPark: Haven’t received a message from the municipality
Stian Holst is the country manager of EasyPark in Norway. He says that EasyPark has not received notification from Oslo municipality that there is a temporary parking ban in Bogstadveien.
– I cannot see that we have been notified about the parking ban in Bogstadveien.
The money that motorists pay for parking goes to Oslo municipality in full. EasyPark only handles the app solution.
– Shouldn’t you have noticed yourself that it is not allowed to park in Bogstadveien?
– EasyPark can be found in all Norwegian cities from Hammerfest in the north to Mandal in the south. We are therefore dependent on being notified of changes that occur.
Frp: On the verge of fraud
City council member Lars Petter Solås (Frp) sent a written question about it to transport councilor Sirin Stav (MDG) on 6 February. He is not gracious in his criticism of the municipality.
– I think this borders on fraud. The municipality is the landowner. And the money goes to the municipality. Therefore, it is the municipality’s responsibility to notify companies that operate parking apps of parking bans. We believe that the municipality should repay the money they have received in the form of parking tax, says Solås.
– But it is the driver who is responsible for parking in accordance with the signage. What do you say to that?
– It is true that the driver has a responsibility here. At the same time, when you see a marked parking lot that is tidy and free of snow and where you have parked a thousand times before, you don’t want to think about the signage. And when you also get paid for parking in the usual way, you think it’s legal to park.
NOK 340,000
Monica T. Olsen is press officer at the Bymiljøetaten (BYM). She writes in an e-mail that in the app for EasyPark and Bil I Oslo, the conditions state that you must follow the signage on the spot.
“The driver has a very strict duty of care, so that the driver must always check whether changes have been made to the parking regulations on the spot. The fact that it is possible to pay for parking is not decisive as it is the signage that applies,” writes Olsen.
She refers here to regulations on public parking fees. It states that “no later than 24 hours after the parking regulation sign has been put up, the driver/owner of the vehicle must comply with the new provisions”.
– How much has the municipality received in parking fees in Bogstadveien after 11 January this year?
– The transactions for payment of fees for parking spaces amount to approximately NOK 340,000.
– Do you want to refund money to people who have paid for parking there?
– In the event of an appeal against the imposition, all sides of the case will be considered.
– Why was EasyPark not notified of the parking ban?
– It has not yet been the practice to provide information to EasyPark or others who offer payment solutions via app, about temporary changes to sign regulations. It is also not usual to change data in our own app when temporary changes are introduced to parking areas. This is because there are several thousand changes during a year that can affect parking areas for a shorter or longer period.
Aftenposten has also sent questions to the city council’s department for the environment and transport about this matter. According to the press watch, Transport Council Sirin Stav (MDG) or anyone else has no opportunity to respond. She refers to the answers from BYM.
