A Russian city council deputy has called for a central urban padel court to be demolished and replaced with a paid parking lot, describing the sports facility as pornography and a foolish whim for wealthy youth.
Aleksandr Kolesnikov, a member of the Yekaterinburg City Duma, voiced his anger during a council meeting over the temporary sports venue installed on 1905 Square in the heart of the city.
The central square hosts the padel court during the summer months before converting into a public ice rink in the winter. While Kolesnikov did not comment on the operation of the winter ice rink, he launched a sharp critique against the summer racket sports facility, according to statements cited by the Telegram news channel Ostorozhno, Novosti.
Kolesnikov told fellow lawmakers that businesspeople driving into the city center are unable to find parking spaces. He argued that the historic central area is intended to function as a business hub rather than an entertainment site for rich young people, adding that he and other working citizens do not have time to visit ice rinks or play padel.
Arguments over revenue and municipal budget
In a subsequent interview with the media outlet Podyom, Kolesnikov accused Yekaterinburg municipal authorities of poor financial management, claiming local officials are ignoring an accessible source of revenue.
He noted that when he raises the need to repair local kindergartens or build new schools, city officials routinely claim there is no money in the budget. Kolesnikov asserted that restoring paid parking on 1905 Square could generate one million roubles every month, which could then be transferred directly to fund public education.
The lawmaker maintained that his proposal to return paid parking to the square defends the rights of all city residents rather than solely benefiting motorists.
Health risks and urban sports placement
Beyond fiscal concerns, Kolesnikov argued that placing an open air athletic court in the middle of heavy vehicle traffic is ill advised. He pointed out that motor vehicles continuously travel along nearby Lenin Avenue, questioning the logic of encouraging people to exercise and breathe in vehicle exhaust fumes in a space without a designated pedestrian zone.
He urged municipal planners to concentrate instead on establishing dedicated sports fields inside public parks and established stadiums.
Yekaterinburg, located in the Ural Mountains region, is Russia's fourth-largest city and a major administrative and industrial center. Its central 1905 Square borders Lenin Avenue, the primary east-west thoroughfare in the city. Padel is a fast-growing racket sport derived from tennis and squash, typically played in doubles on an enclosed court surrounded by glass and mesh walls.
Wider context on expanding paid parking
The dispute in Yekaterinburg reflects a broader national trend toward expanding paid parking infrastructure across Russian municipalities. Auto expert Maxim Kadakov previously stated that the geographic expansion of paid parking has become inevitable in major cities.
According to Kadakov, paid parking systems effectively alleviate traffic congestion in historic city centers and newer residential districts where property developers fail to meet parking space requirements. However, Kadakov observed that municipal authorities in many towns are increasingly introducing paid parking schemes simply to boost local budgets, even in areas that do not experience parking shortages.
