The city in the Shfela that wants to raise parking prices for non-residents: "Customers won't come"

The Rehovot municipality is advancing an amendment to the municipal bylaw that would lower parking rates for city residents but raise them by about 20% for visitors and workers coming from outside. The hourly rate for non-residents would increase from 5.42 to 6.5 shekels, and the daily rate from 23.24 to 26 shekels. Business owners on Herzl Street warn that the price hike will drive away customers, especially amid the Blue Line construction works that are already harming accessibility.

The Rehovot municipality is advancing an amendment to the municipal bylaw that would lower parking rates for city residents but raise them by about 20% for visitors and workers coming from outside. According to the announcement, the hourly parking rate for non-residents will rise from 5.42 shekels to 6.5 shekels, an increase of about 19.9%. The daily rate will rise from 23.24 shekels to 26 shekels, an addition of about 11.9%. In contrast, Rehovot residents will pay 5 shekels per hour instead of the current 5.42 shekels, and their daily rate will be reduced to 20 shekels. This means a gap of 1.5 shekels per hour and 6 shekels per day between residents and visitors. The price hike is expected to harm workers who come daily by car, as well as visitors and customers of local businesses. A business owner on Herzl Street told Maariv: "The decision to lower parking prices for residents should not come at the expense of our customers... customers won't come." The municipality is aware of the difficulties and in May presented a business assistance plan worth 2.5 million shekels. At this stage, it is a proposal that requires city council approval.