The shortage of parking spaces on motorways remains one of the most pressing problems in the European transport industry. Especially in Germany, the situation will be really dramatic, which was perfectly presented in the ADAC report last year. In the meantime, here is an example of how not to try to solve this parking problem.
The local broadcaster “MDR” published material about a failed investment which turned out to be a car park called XXLKW located on the German A9 motorway near the Vockerode junction. Opened in December last year, the facility offered space for 107 trucks and was to be extended up to three times. However, for the time being, no expansion would be needed, as the parking lot is empty in its current state.
When the square opened in December 2022, it was promoted as a solution to the burning parking problem on the A9 between Leipzig and Berlin. However, this is not a public solution, but a private investment into which a Bavarian company had to inject millions of euros. Now the investor is trying to get his money back, so his parking lot turns out to be very expensive.
As part of the starting offer, a 10-12 hour pit stop, in fact the most normal daily break, was priced at €25. After the initial promotion ends, these 10-12 hours will cost 35 euros in full! When it comes to 24 hour parking, it’s 32€ as part of the promotion or 45€ under the standard price list. In comparison, most German automakers charge €15-20 for 24 hours. So it’s no surprise that the XXLKW parking lot doesn’t want to fill up.
Finally, I would like to remind you that a full day of driving a large-sized truck on German roads usually costs around 100-150 EUR, as part of the mandatory fee. This money is for road infrastructure, including parking. How absurd, then, is that during the day we give 100-150 euros to public infrastructure, and at night we have to add 35 euros to private infrastructure, because public infrastructure has been chronically neglected?
