"The preparations are going to plan, with new traffic and information signage being installed. The weather has also permitted us to start adding new road markings, and I hope everything will be done on time," said Karmo Näkk, head of Pärnu's municipal economy department.

Instead of the recent two paid parking zones – center area and beach area – there will be three zones: the old town area, center area and beach area.

While parking was only paid during the summer period in the Pärnu Beach area, the changes will require paying for parking year-round. The new center area covers parts of the city where parking used to be free of charge.

Turning to the Pärnu city government are mostly people who used to inhabit the free parking zone.

While people registered as living in the City of Pärnu can buy an annual parking permit for €150, visitors will have to cough up €850. This creates a situation where people living 30 kilometers from the city center can buy the cheaper permit, while those who only live a few kilometers away but are outside the city's administrative borders have to pay over five times that.

"People have told us they're looking for ways to avoid having to pay €850, including registering as Pärnu residents," said Lauri Luur, mayor of the neighboring Tori Municipality.

He added that parking rules should be the same for everyone in Pärnu County.

The city has not noticed an uptick in new resident registrations and told ERR that the situation can be analyzed once the new parking organizations has been in effect for a while.

More info on the current and future parking organization in Pärnu can be found by clicking on these blue words.

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