Irkutsk Mayor Viktor Kondrashov decided to stop the 24 hour paid guarded parking lot near IrGTU after the initiative was discussed online. CCTV cameras will be installed only in the underpass, which needs constant care and protection from vandals. City authorities stress that the parking shortage in Irkutsk remains acute, especially downtown, and revenue from future paid parking lots will go to parking infrastructure development.

Irkutsk Mayor Viktor Kondrashov has decided to discontinue the operation of the 24-hour paid guarded parking lot near IrGTU. Several months ago, the free citywide parking lot was transferred to the management of the municipal enterprise “Agency for Urban Development.”
“It was decided to make part of the parking lot near IrGTU paid so that the money earned could be used to maintain the nearby underground passage in proper condition, as well as ensure safety there and in the parking lot,” said the Mayor of Irkutsk.
The underground passage on Lermontov Street near NI IrGTU is one of the most problematic in the city. The funds allocated for its maintenance are not enough to restore the wall panels destroyed by vandals every day or to clean the walls defaced with paint. The enterprise “Agency for Urban Development” purchased surveillance cameras. The plan was to display the image from the cameras on the parking lot security desk and respond immediately to acts of vandalism or hooliganism.
When the decision was made that the parking lot would no longer be guarded, cameras will be installed only in the passage and will record incidents of disorder.
According to Mayor Viktor Kondrashov, there is an agreement with the management of IrGTU to place the surveillance server in one of the university buildings.
“I closely followed the discussion on the Internet about creating this paid guarded parking lot,” Viktor Kondrashov noted. “There were opinions both for and against. When deciding to make part of the parking lot paid, we wanted to create comfortable and safe conditions for car owners: for both students and Polytechnic employees, and residents of nearby houses. But since people spoke out against it, I decided to discontinue the operation of the paid guarded parking lot. There are two paid parking lots behind the university, so those who wish to leave their car under guard have that opportunity. If, over time, there is a need to create a paid zone in this parking lot, we can always return to this issue.”
The city head said that the issue of parking lots in Irkutsk is quite acute, especially in the central part of the city where there is a shortage of them. To solve the problem, the municipal enterprise “Agency for Urban Development” has been instructed to arrange vacant land plots and equip them as parking lots. Since this requires expenses, the parking lots are made paid. It is planned that the profit from the created parking lots will go toward the construction of a multi-level parking facility in the city center.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk city administration