(haipo) – The disturbing phenomenon of drivers parking their vehicles on sidewalks in Haifa is getting worse. Residents are helpless, as more and more people report that sidewalks are impassable and have become parking lots for cars. Drivers also complain about the lack of parking solutions. As a result, many of the city's sidewalks are almost no longer used by pedestrians, as vehicles are parked on them. The situation results in pedestrians, including parents with strollers and disabled people in wheelchairs, being forced to go out onto the road and risk their lives.
We, at Haifa, are constantly continuing to survey this life-threatening phenomenon and invite you to report it to us using the link found here. ⬇
The parking shortage, the enforcement shortage, and the pedestrian shortage
All Haifa residents are familiar with the parking shortage that plagues the city's streets, but does this situation justify blocking sidewalks and harming public safety?
Sidewalks are primarily intended for pedestrians, but in practice they are often used as illegal parking areas, reducing the safe and accessible space for them. This phenomenon is evident in almost every neighborhood in the city.
Increased enforcement
Following a series of articles published on the Haifa website, the Haifa Municipality addressed the issue and stated that they have increased enforcement against serious parking violations. Starting in June 2024, they said, a strict enforcement policy will be implemented, in which municipal inspectors will act based on calls from residents received at the municipal call center.
But the residents ask:
Why is enforcement carried out only after complaints, and not proactively by inspectors deployed in the city?
Why aren't there any inspectors who prevent parking violations in advance and punish drivers who break the law?
Is change expected?
The big question is whether the Haifa Municipality will take more decisive steps to return the sidewalks to pedestrians? Will we soon see stricter supervision, heavier fines, and increased enforcement in known problem areas? For now, it seems that residents will continue to fight for their basic right to move around the city safely.
The Haifa Municipality gave a response:
As we have previously noted, the Haifa Municipality is conducting increased enforcement against serious parking violations that endanger road users, such as parking on sidewalks and parking at bus stops. However, since it is not possible to post an inspector on every street in the city, enforcement in neighborhoods is also carried out based on inquiries received at the municipal hotline, which is available to receive inquiries 24 hours a day.
I recommend that the Haifa Municipality take care of parking near the Haifa Theater... and not exploit the lack of parking spaces to make a fortune from citizens who simply want to have a good time...
They ignore the parking problem, for example, there is no parking near the North Theater... during performances... and there is no choice but to park on the sidewalks and the municipality attacks the vehicles and imposes high fines... I recommend that the Haifa Municipality take care of parking lots near places of entertainment and not oppress citizens who want to have fun... Shame...
Demarcate parking spaces on the sidewalks, for example on Galilee Street where 4 vehicles can easily enter and can pass with sidewalks, simply mark the parking spaces on the sidewalks, and put up a sign, for the sake of good order, you should only park in the designated area, a driver who does not park in the designated place will be fined, this is a simple and polite solution, and will also educate drivers to park legally
Just so you know, the report system causes neighbor fights, and in some areas it can result in stabbings (already in the past).
I'm contacting the municipality. I'm asking you to handle this wisely and sensitively.
Here's an interesting solution - maybe the municipality should create more parking spaces?! Have you thought about that?
You can narrow the sidewalks a little and allow parking on both sides of the road, while still leaving a passage for pedestrians, strollers, etc. You can turn many "red and white" places in the city area into legitimate parking spaces with a little proper planning. But no, not only are new parking spaces not being built, the existing ones are being torn down in favor of "20 minutes to move" and legitimate spaces are being taken away from residents.
Stop crying, go look for (solutions).
For some reason I don't see anyone talking about creating new parking spaces as part of the solution to the problem. Come on, normalize it.
Narrow sidewalks? They are already at the bare minimum, and even that is being trampled by vehicles. Park on red and white? Do you really think that red and white is marked arbitrarily and not according to lane planning and prevention of dangers to pedestrians and drivers? What solution would draw more parking spaces and pave roads for more vehicles. Where exactly?! It's time to make it clear to residents that they will have to switch to public transportation in Haifa. Rather, reduce parking spaces and eliminate parking in malls and educational centers. You can get there by bus. And those who choose to drive have to pay dearly for parking and road congestion. You don't have parking in the lot, it's your problem, not the pedestrian's who are demanding to park at the expense of the sidewalk.
very true!
Also in the pictures in the article, if instead of the red and white markings (no stopping), half of the sidewalk and half of the road were marked with a white parking frame sign - this would solve the problem of wheelchairs and the disabled on the sidewalk and reduce the parking shortage in Haifa without causing traffic disruption!!!
There is no more obvious sign of urban failure and planning failure than streets filled with vehicles blocking sidewalks.
This is what a fourth world city looks like…
So you know that every city is like that and Haifa is one of the craziest mountains there is.
whiners
Stupid article. Excessive enforcement makes people cry. No enforcement makes people cry. In short, crybaby.
The municipality can place obstacles to prevent parking on sidewalks, but it prefers to milk drivers to enrich its coffers.
Tishbi Street, there are no sidewalks, women walk with baby strollers on the road, on both sides of the road, vehicles on the sidewalks. On Hayarkon Street, there is no Blue and White, so everyone parks there and for the residents of the street, there is no parking most of the day.
Near Emil Grinzweig Square, cars are parked on the sidewalk, blocking the passage of small children and women with baby strollers on their way to the kindergartens. Even the disabled cannot cross the sidewalk. The municipality could simply put up fences or posts and prevent blockages. Nothing is done and there is no enforcement.
A failing municipality and we all suffer.
People are blowing money on a car without a parking space in every city in the world. If you don't have a place to park, you don't buy a car. That's the root of the problem.
The parking lots disappeared, as if they never existed, along with the flooding of the Carmel in the devastating TAMA 38.
The vast majority of the buildings approved under TAMA 38 on the Carmel underwent a flawed building permit approval process, encouraged by the municipal legal counsel based on the recycled false statements of the municipal engineer, Eng. Y.S., with the backing of the local committee's attorney, Adv. S.W.
The municipality would do well to get rid of these two.
Municipal laws should be enacted when residents can abide by the laws – this is not the case today, with the number of cars in the city doubling due to the overflow of the TAMA, which is being implemented in a proven criminal manner, in front of the watchful eyes of the mayor and the municipal leadership.
Go home!! Let them live!!
You're right, the 38th Amendment created the severe hardship of the severe shortage of parking spaces, how long will it take?
The Haifa Municipality has caused a parking shortage. They are painting everything blue and white. This means that a person comes to his street and has to pay money, so he prefers to throw his car on some sidewalk on a street that has not yet been painted blue and white. By the way, what the Haifa Municipality is doing is illegal. The public space belongs to the public, and so do the parking lots, which were simply robbed from the public.
"Increased enforcement" according to the municipality, meaning: full of nothing enforcement for nothing enforcement. A problem for the municipality in all its executive functions, supervision, cleaning, construction, parking, lighting, tree felling, etc. He will do whatever he sees fit, and will probably help if he is close to someone. Sometimes the municipality itself is the perpetrator. A malignant disease of the Haifa municipality. The main thing is that its officials multiply and occupy more and more building after building. Forgive me if I made a mistake in something…….
You forgot bad roads full of holes and potholes everywhere..
An embarrassing and incorrect response from the municipality.
It has nothing to do with "since it is not possible to place an inspector on every street in the city."
Inspection vehicles pass by vehicles parked on lanes, sidewalks, and traffic circles, and nothing is done.
Only if a specific request is received, and even then, the handling of the request in the field is sometimes done for a long time after the request.
There are permanent and well-known areas in Haifa, including on busy thoroughfares in the city, where vehicles are parked on sidewalks, travel lanes, and bus stops throughout the day, and the municipality does nothing about it.
During the day, inspectors check vehicles parked in blue and white, without a Pango/Selopark, but a vehicle parked next to the road in a lane or bus stop or parked on the sidewalk and blocking it, will not be approached unless there is a specific request.
In short, if you want to park for free in Haifa, it's best to do so on the sidewalk, in the middle of the road, or at a bus stop. Why waste money on Pango?
An important and most painful issue in our urban space.
We must file reports for parking on sidewalks and put up posts to prevent such parking, as is the practice in tens of thousands of cities around the world.