After-work parking in Jena is not currently an issue

So-called ‘after-work parking’ is not relevant for Jena at present. This was the conclusion of a review presented by the city administration to the city council yesterday. The review examined whether private car parks, such as those at supermarkets, could be made available to local residents during the evening and night-time hours. The result: although similar schemes already exist in other towns, there is currently little interest amongst the car park operators approached in Jena.

On 28 January 2026, the city council had commissioned the administration to investigate the possibilities for a pilot scheme. The aim was to make better use of existing parking spaces and to reduce parking pressure in residential areas.

“The idea of making multiple use of existing parking spaces and thereby reducing parking pressure in residential areas makes sense in principle. However, this requires private owners to be willing to make their spaces available. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case in Jena,”

explains Dirk Lange, Head of Urban Development.

Little interest from Jena’s car park operators

As part of the assessment, the city administration wrote to several supermarkets, as well as the Free State of Thuringia and the Ernst Abbe Foundation. The focus was on car parks in areas with high parking pressure. Edeka in East Jena is already making pragmatic use of its parking spaces in a variety of ways. Lidl has signalled a general interest but is still conducting an internal review. The other companies and organisations approached showed no interest, wished to wait and see how things developed in other cities, or did not respond.

In cities such as Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne, customer car parks are already offered for a fee outside business hours.

Legal requirements restrict usage

Legally speaking, too, after-hours parking is not possible everywhere. Parking spaces must first be available for the purpose specified under planning law. Additional use is therefore only permitted outside the actual operating or usage hours. Furthermore, neither the relevant planning permission nor noise protection regulations must preclude such use. Whether multiple use is possible must be assessed on a case-by-case basis for each location.

As there are currently no interested operators in Jena, a detailed assessment of individual sites has been dispensed with. Under the current conditions, there is therefore no basis for a pilot project.