Vehicles line up on the road in the direction of the health resort Ratan. Parking at Camrick near Walterstorf has long been crowded. That’s why people park on the street. But it was not allowed. That’s why drivers will find a parking ticket on the windshield when they return. So back to a few days ago.
In the future you may find another slip of paper under the windshield wiper: “Visitors to Saxon Switzerland you are blocking your own escape route and your fellow men at this time. Please park only in designated parking areas”. Next to it is printed a QR code. If you scan it, you will get an overview of parking spaces in Saxon Switzerland. It has only been a few days, and Saxon is part of a long-standing concept for visitor management in Switzerland.
Baptism of fire while searching the parking lot on the day of Pentecost
The summer of 2020 Saxon is still well remembered in Switzerland, with thousands of tourists flocking to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. The parking mess is really unavoidable. Conclusion: Emergency escape routes were completely blocked. Drivers from Kirnitsztalban often had trouble navigating historic schools through the narrow valley because cars parked near the tracks blocked their way. But not only here, but in other pedestrian areas, and sometimes in parking lots and on the streets, there were chaotic situations.
The big solution to the problem should be a parking and visitor guidance system. But this is only a matter of time. For this reason, there was a joint effort of the district, municipalities, the tourism association, the national park administration and the landscape (F) de Juganft. The purpose of this campaign is to provide an overview of all the parking spaces available in tourist areas in Saxon, Switzerland. In the meantime it was over, to be baptized by fire on the day of Pentecost. Producers will take care of and evaluate the whole thing to improve the details.
Every parking lot in Saxon Switzerland is booked
The preparation of the control system was very comprehensive and took some time. Ulrik Roth of the Landscaping (F) de Juganft Society is well aware of this. “First, we had to clarify what technical options we had, to explicitly summarize the parking spaces available to each visitor.” Then you have to compile all the parking spaces and see what is really possible there.
All of this was done in close coordination with nature conservation organizations such as municipalities and the Regional Directorate. That is, it should be clarified whether the areas are outside or inside or within the national park area. Also, the interim parking areas designated by the municipalities had to be taken into account. These are not shown separately on the map because 90 percent of them are connected to existing parking spaces. In order to comply legally, everything must be carefully checked. “We’ve done real pioneering work here,” says Ulrik Roth.
How the Parking Guidance System Works
In addition to the general overview, a detailed map of each region was developed. © Verin Landschoff (F) de Juganft
The parking overview contains an overall map and 17 unique maps for the region, including major cities such as Birna. All parking spaces in the respective area are recorded on these detailed maps. There is a lot of information about this in a legend. For example, the visitor may know whether this is a parking lot for pedestrians. There are mostly tourist sites nearby. There are also signs of whether a caravan site, camp or tent site is nearby. Or whether or not you are allowed to stand with your mobile home and whether there is contact with local public transportation, i.e. P&R.
With the help of QR code you can call personal maps from regions. © Landshoff (F) de Juganft Ave.
Maps of municipalities, tourism service providers and other information points in the region can be found on the website Of the Landshoff (F) de Juganft Society Download and use. This means that the cards can be integrated into their website or site as an announcement of additional parking spaces. On the one hand, it can be helpful if the selected parking space is already full, and on the other hand, it can be a tip for getting to less congested hiking areas. Of course, every day tripper or tourist can download the maps themselves. The less effort, the better the benefit. Anyone who has looked in vain for a parking space knows that.
“Not everyone can park in the first row. That’s the way it is. But with perspective we can make other parking offers for visitors. Maybe this way they will come to an area they have never been to before, which is not very crowded with tourists,” says Ulrik Roth. So: The side effect of directing the audience.
400 additional parking spaces in municipalities
Another positive effect of the outlook is that it can make it clear to municipalities that their interim areas do not conflict with nature conservation issues. These special areas were selected by some municipalities based on last summer’s experience. A total of eight additional intermediate areas are now available in the outdoor area with about 400 additional parking spaces. These are mainly found in the big Honstein, Wehlan, Bad Shandow and tourist hotspots.
These are not listed in the general view because they are not always available, i.e. only when there is an emergency “in the parking lot”. Municipalities are responsible for this. “You can decide whether or not to open the medieval areas. For example, if good weather is forecast or normal parking spaces may not be adequate,” said District Administrator Michael Keysler (CDU). Saxon Switzerland Tourism Association. This means that the municipalities themselves provide the appropriate signatures, bar tapes, parking machines and more. At the same time, municipalities receive the previously described encouraging note to visitors. “Before tickets are available, we want to inform visitors and of course make them aware of escape routes,” the district administrator said.
Food trucks and toy houses are still a long way off
Considerations for parking spaces go even further, especially in terms of service. The lack of toilets is no secret. Supply and disposal in parking lots is a problem. We want to dedicate ourselves to the future. According to District Administrator Keesler, food trucks, i.e. mobile outlets, should be checked to see if they can get to certain parking spaces. For example, electricity is not available in all parking lots, but it will be needed. Then again, toy houses have to be set up. It costs money for everything. Lastly, not least, mobile toilets need to be kept clean so they can still be used. All questions that will play a role in the future.
At least the supply situation and the toilet issue should be eased as soon as possible when Saxon is allowed to re-open outdoor catering in Switzerland.
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