ROME – Surprise: in the first half of 2021, the places with the highest demand for parking were hospitals. And it is not difficult, unfortunately, to understand the cause. Once, in the prepandemic era, the most popular places were stations, airports, the center of our cities. We left the car there to catch a train or a plane, for work reasons or to reach our girlfriend who knows where. In the center we went crazy to find a hole, hoping for the clemency of the policeman on duty. And we had to eat a pizza with the thought of never finding our car again. Good times.
With a large part of the population vaccinated these healthy habits are slowly (but tenaciously) catching up: yet Parclick, an online parking booking company, has conducted a study that reveals a sea change. Up hospitals, down stations and airports. Perhaps a little less worse the city centers, with the desire we have to embrace the neighbor at the table. Founded in 2011 by Luis París and Iván Rodríguez, Parclick is in 240 European cities, has 1800 car parks in Europe (1,330 in cities, 290 in airports, 140 in railway stations and 40 in ports) and 450 car parks in Italy of which 130 in Rome , 90 in Milan, 45 in Naples, 35 in Florence, 30 in Palermo, 20 in Venice.
“The pandemic has also changed the way Italians travel, not only in terms of the means of transport chosen”, explains commercial director Niccolo Mariotti. “The car is still the favorite over public transport due to the fear of contagion, but also in terms of the places we frequent the most, and hospitals occupy the first position for parking demand in the first six months of 2021”. Not only. According to the findings, if previously the most common routes were from home to work, or to shopping areas and restaurants, now the most frequent trips are to pharmacies, supermarkets and parks.
“We at Parclick hope that thanks to widespread vaccination and the decline in serious cases of coronavirus, the parking lots of recreational facilities, airports and city centers will once again be the most popular among Italians in the second half of the year, confirming the resumption of Village”. We all hope so. (fp)
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