Parking spaces are precious in Istanbul, Türkiye's most populated city with more than 15 million people. They are also apparently precious for their operators as drivers complain of prices skyrocketing in some "special" hours or days. Motorists find parking lots charging higher fees in areas near concert halls or stadiums when crowds gather. The "event" fee, as they refer to it, is not limited to private parking places but also lots operated by ISPARK, a subsidiary of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB).
The overcharging practice is mostly limited to Beşiktaş and Şişli on the European side of the city and Kadıköy on the Asian side, three locations where most stadiums and popular performance venues are concentrated at. Private parking lots, usually run by operators of those venues, charge up to $8.2 (TL 150) for a few hours of parking while ISPARK about TL 60, or a full-day parking fee for a couple of hours during "events." Drivers consent to high fees as finding a space for their vehicles at times of popular football matches or concerts is nearly impossible outside the parking lots. For instance, an ISPARK parking lot outside Küçükçiftlik Park in Şişli where stars perform usually in the summer, charges TL 50, at the time of concerts. Nearby private parking lots triple the fees at those times, according to drivers.
Dündar Kan is among the victims of "event" parking. "I came here to watch a Beşiktaş game and paid TL 100. I only parked for two hours," he complained. "You cannot find a parking space around here. I was here for another match and could not even find a taxi for 5 kilometers. So, I drove this time but have to pay TL 100," he told Demirören News Agency (DHA) on Monday. Hüseyin Türkoğlu, another spectator, said he was charged TL 150 for three hours. "In other times, they only charge TL 20 for the same period," he said. "You either have to walk or drive scooters. Otherwise, you have to pay a high fee," another local said. ISPARK did not comment on changing fees.
