By Gunnar Schupelius
The companies in the parking zones only get tradesman parking permits for their company cars if the district office likes it. The decisions seem completely arbitrary, says Gunnar Schupelius.
More and more parking zones are being set up in Berlin. The district offices take no account of the local handicraft businesses.
As a rule, they only get a single tradesman parking permit, which exempts them from paying for parking, regardless of how many employees they employ and how many vehicles they need.
Only if they can prove that they have to park more than one vehicle in front of the company will they get more than one tradesman parking permit, but only if the district office recognizes the proof.
This is where entrepreneur Stephan Kryst from Moabit failed. He has been based in Bochumer Strasse with his IT company (Kryst Netzwerk GmbH) for 30 years. Parking zone 10028 was set up there two years ago.
Kryst has seven employees and five company cars, limousines, that he uses to deliver equipment to customers. So he applied for a tradesman’s parking permit for some of the vehicles.
However, the clerk in the Mitte district office did not want to recognize the cars as company cars. “There is no apparent suitability for transporting bulky materials or equipment.”
Kryst provided evidence that he does major haulage, photographed his cargo, and detailed that his employees travel from headquarters to customers.
His lawyers confirm that he is just as dependent on his car as, for example, a plumbing company, which does receive a tradesman’s parking permit for several vehicles.
All in vain: the office remained tough. In April 2023, proceedings were brought before the administrative court. But the judge followed the arguments of the district. Kryst lost and was left with €3,000 in legal fees.
This argument by the district office is remarkable: “The mere interest in making it easier to practice the profession does not justify an urgent need.”
Why not? Why shouldn’t you get a tradesman’s parking permit if it makes it easier to practice your profession?
Conversely, is it the task of politicians to make it more difficult to exercise a profession? That’s how you see it apparently in the Mitte district office. Instead of promoting the work of the companies that provide jobs, they are harassed with bans.
Anyone who works in the parking zone and needs their vehicle must of course be allowed to park for free, just like the residents. What else?
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