A test balloon has been running in Chironico since the beginning of the year in order to get the confusing parking situation in the popular Ticino bouldering area under control. You can officially park and spend the night in three designated parking spaces for a fee.
Only recently we learned about the threatened access bans in Val Bavona reported. As a result of this reporting, we have received numerous reports. The situation in Chironico is also tense. Parking fees have recently been charged. Many people have asked us whether this is an official measure by the municipality of Faido. In short: yes. Here are the details.
The local community of Faido, the Patriziato di Chironico and local climbers have launched the Save the Boulders Project 2024. The initiative aims to concentrate the flow of visitors in the three official parking zones Chironico, Nivo and Grumo and to use the parking fees to cover part of the municipality's expenses.
Save The Boulder Project: Three managed park areas
As in other bouldering hotspots in Ticino, the number of visitors to Chironico is increasing year after year. Most boulderers travel by car or camper, which has increasingly made the parking and overnight situation worse and has also led to tensions with the local population. In addition, the dumped waste containers and ToiToi toilet cubicles put a five-figure burden on the municipal budget.
For this reason, the Save the Boulders Project 2024 was launched. Since the beginning of the year there have been three managed parking areas (see map) where you can park and spend the night for a fee.
The locations are equipped with toilets and waste stations. Fire pits, WiFi reception and options for obtaining fresh water are under construction.
Fees via Bed & Breakfast In Lak'ech
Paying the parking fees has caused confusion for various climbers. Several people have written to us saying that people are collecting money directly on site. We asked Daniele Zanzi, sports coordinator of the municipality of Faido, and received the following answer:
The municipality of Faido has commissioned Davide Serta and Stefano from Bed & Breakfast In Lak'ech to claim the camping fee and the tourist tax.
Daniele Zanzi, sports coordinator Comune di Faido
Parking in the three managed parking areas costs 50 centimes per hour or 12 francs per day. For overnight stays, a tourism tax of 2 francs per person is added. In addition to the signposted overnight accommodations, there are also so-called temporary parking zones. These are marked in green on the map below.
Avert discontent, create goodwill
Daniele Zanzi emphasizes that these fees are intended to cover the municipality's costs, for example for waste disposal or mobile toilets. This is important because dissatisfaction among the local population about incorrectly parked cars or people spending the night in their buses in the village is already growing. If the influx of visitors also involves costs for the general public, the camel's back is in danger of overflowing.
The municipality has also examined the possibility of camping sites, says Daniele Zanzi. However, this idea had to be rejected for legal and regulatory reasons. “For the moment, managed park areas are the solution.”
The Save the Boulders Project 2024 will run until the end of the year. Since the pilot project will then be evaluated and serve as a basis for further decisions by the community, it is up to all of us to contribute to its success. Therefore: Stick to the rules and pay the fees.
This is how the parking system works
- Make an appointment
You can contact Davide or Stefano from In Lak'ech by phone, WhatsApp or Telegram (there is free WiFi in parking area 1): +41 77 522 82 88. Parking spaces can also be obtained via the corresponding Form on the In Lak'ech website reserved. - Check-in & payment
The reserved ticket can be picked up at the information point in Parking Area 1 at the following times: 08:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. to 16:00 p.m. and 20:00 p.m. to 22.00:XNUMX p.m. Payment can be made on site in cash or by credit card. - allocation
Together with the representatives from In Lak'ech you can determine your place and the length of your stay.
Admittedly, the system is a bit complicated. Please stick to it anyway. If you have suggestions for improvement, ideas or suggestions, please feel free to contact Davide and Stefano. Or write a comment on this article (scroll down). We collect the feedback and forward it to Davide, Stefano and the community of Faido.
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First something good:
– It’s great that someone has addressed the problem
Where there is still room for improvement:
– Link in the article for the reservation leads to “page not found – Error 404”
– Fear that the system is a bit too laborious and therefore no one will stick to it -> an app like “EasyPark” would have been better.
– quite a lot of work for those in charge -> fear that those in charge won't be able to keep it up for long
Suggestion to be discussed:
-Parking lot with donation box and build on your own responsibility?
Hello Dr. Electricity
Thanks for your feedback. The linked page is not available. Maybe it collapsed due to so much access? We hope not.
The system chosen by the municipality is, as you say, anything but optimal. We will collect feedback from the community and then reach out to the community with a proactive proposal with a more viable solution.
Merci and greeting
Thank you Dr. for your intervention. We take the liberty of answering you directly in this blog. The “Save the Boulder” project is constantly improving, day by day, thanks to the feedback we propose solutions to improve the service and provide everything at its best, trying to respect the needs of climbers and locals. As you can see from the latest updates on the site, the payment system is now online and there will soon be other news on the system adopted. Happy to be useful. Thanks also to Lacrux.com!