Changing of Parking Rules in Ukraine

Experienced motorists and even novice motorists are well aware that if their “neighbor” in the parking lot is located incorrectly, problems cannot be avoided. Departure from the parking lot, as well as parking, should be made as accurately as possible, but often there are difficulties. Spontaneous parking is an unpleasant, but ubiquitous phenomenon that interferes with the normal movement of cars and creates the risk of traffic accidents.

Will they notice us?

The rhetorical question: “Where can I park?” Is relevant for every driver, but not everyone can do it correctly for many reasons. And earlier it was problematic to prove and punish accordingly for violating parking rules. Now the new law recognizes photo and video fixation as evidence of an offense and should contribute to the inevitability of punishment for this deviation from the road traffic rules. In addition, stopping or parking a car on the ground for persons with disabilities, persons without documents confirming their rights or identification marks will not go unpunished either. Even renting a car will not save the offender. A photo of a vehicle from two angles by a police officer or a person who has the proper authority for this, with the date and time indicated (can be set on the camera) will be an unpleasant surprise for the regular offenders.

The law stipulates that a photo or video may be taken by an inspector or another authorized person in order to capture the fact of a violation, including the date, place, and type of vehicle. Therefore, it will be easy to prove the fact of illegal parking.

Innovations in the evacuation of cars

In special cases, the law provides for the evacuation of a car, even in the absence of its owner. The relevant services pick up the car if:

• it is left on the road with the intersection of two lanes, which interferes with normal movement;
• the signs regulating the rules of parking or stopping are not observed;
• parked at various crossings (tram tracks, railway), closer than 11 meters on both sides (frequent offense), etc.

Evacuation is also possible if the driver violates the parking rules, leaves it in a lane designed for public transport, a cycle path, interferes with the work of utility structures. After photographing, the inspector is obliged to immediately notify the representative of the national police. The law provides for the need to notify the owner via mobile communication or e-mail about the place of evacuation, indicating the contact person, so that it is easier to pick up the car.

What’s new for payment

Penalties for traffic violations are now imposed even in the absence of the owner of the vehicle, and information about him, unlike information about the location of the car after evacuation, will come to the postal address (at the place of registration) within a few days from the date of the decision by registered mail.

You can pick up the vehicle immediately after paying all the costs and clearly spelled out the amount of the fine for the offense. Also, a new resolution introduced another innovation – contactless payment.

Offer of cash to the inspector at the scene of the violation, including for violation of parking rules, is subject to a fine of fifty to seventy tax-exempt minimum. Payment of seventy tax-exempt minimums is intended to cool the desire of easy money. Cashless payment eliminates the human factor and minimizes the possibility of corruption.

In addition, there will no longer be any concessions for cars that have European registration number. Their owners are obliged to pay fines along with other citizens, and although the car itself is not subject to state registration, the owner or the company for which it is recorded will receive a well-deserved punishment. Owners of European registration number should think twice whether it is worth the risk. Maybe you should rent a car? By the way, long-term rental of a vehicle in CatCar, for example, provides additional bonuses.

What’s next?

Let us hope that the system of fines, the presence of mandatory contactless calculation and photographing of the offense will not only simplify the lives of ordinary citizens and make the roads safer, and pavements freer, but will be another step towards the formation of a completely new type of society.