The parking plan had been approved, but the opponents did not vote for it

The revolutionary and highly anticipated (but also feared) plan concerning parking has been approved by the city council. Sixteen votes in favour, 6 against and 3 abstained.

All clear on the fee plan which, however, at this stage concerns only a prediction of the maximum and must be fixed accurately over the next few days by the city council.

What will change for the citizens?
Not much compared to the original system voiced in the last few days. But so much changes in every way regarding the current rules. A true revolution: 1880 extra fee-charging parking spaces in Biumo, Casbeno and Giubiano, in areas that, until now, were either free or at parking disc. The city will be split into four price ranges. There will also be fee-charging subscriptions for those who must leave the car in Varese. The parking lot of the first car will become free for those who live downtown. Four outdoor parking lots will be created where you can leave your car and take the bus freely. The cost in the most central range will increase.

The amendments
Tuesday night, however, the city council voted, on a proposal by Simone Longhini of Forza Italia, the expansion up to 30 minutes of the free parking range in a number of free parking spaces, which will be located near the downtown shops (between 50 and 100 stalls according to the councillor Andrea Civati). The request was made by Ascom traders and already implemented by the council. Another accepted amendment was from the Democratic Party (Fisco and Spatola) and concerns the possibility of receiving discounts for low-income users by filling in the ISEE.

The opponents of DP
For the council, Galimberti, who puts an important part of political credibility at stake on the parking plan, is a success obtained at the cost of some disunity in the majority, though. The vote on the plan was in fact marked by several twists and turns. The councillor of the Galimberti list, Mauro Gregori (who in the committee voted in favour) and Giampiero Infortuna of the DP, now structurally at odds with its majority (excluded from every task and does not participate in the commissions) voted against. Even two of the names of weight of DP, Fabrizio Mirabelli and Luisa Oprandi, did not vote for the plan; they abstained, confirming a dissident political position of the DP guided indeed by Galimberti, a problem that has internal sources. The councillor Spatola of the DP was absent. The internal dissidence of the majority is the result of “internal logic of parties, but our presence of civics, responsible and loyal to those who voted for us, prevents the prevalence of these logics” according to the deputy mayor Daniele Zanzi of Varese 2.0. “It is evident that the mayor is shifting more and more towards a consensus extended to citizenship.” Malerba of the Lega Civica abstained.

The disappointed oppositions
Lega Nord and Forza Italia voted against the parking plan. The leader of Forza Italia Simone Longhini got approval for two amendments; he in fact managed to push through the maintenance of parking places for pregnant women with current rules, and last night he has also obtained the expansion up to 30 minutes of free parking for traders. “We continue our constructive opposition that brings concrete results in the interest of all citizens,” said Longhini.

This Monday, however, Fabio Binelli got the approval of the majority on parking disc places in front of the cemetery of Giubiano. But last night Binelli argued with the city officials, who have given a negative opinion to the economic viability of one of his amendments intended to lower the “range” of the maximum rate for the payment of parking. The Lega organized a protest in court with the counselors and the regional councilor Emanuele Monti. The Lega Nord supporters put posters with the mayor’s face and the inscription “no-parking zone”.

The Orrigoni list left the court at the time of the vote. Paolo Orrigoni said “It’s impossible for us to vote for a parking plan that has good intentions, but that could not be discussed because it is led by the budget and that the application is only one of the taxations of the citizens. It should have been discussed by the counsellor because it didn’t really concern the viability.” The four councilors of the Orrigoni list then returned in court and voted against the rates. The Orrigoni list is disappointed because he presented many proposals for improvement. According to the former mayor candidate, “remarks were absolutely reasonable but the council didn’t give the opportunity to discuss it.”