The administration is planning to introduce a zoning system for parking fees, in a move intended to help control traffic congestion, based on traffic densities of different parts of the city.
“Parking fees in the center of the city should be higher than those on the outskirts,” Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said Monday.
High parking fees in other developed cities around the world were not there simply to earn revenue, but to encourage people to use public transportation, he said.
“But here, parking fees are used to rake in big money for the operators,” Fauzi said, referring to recent violations of numerous of parking operators.
Fauzi did not elaborate on when the zoning system could come into effect, but said any changes to parking fees would require a revision of the city bylaw on retribution, a discussion of which would depend on the City Council.
Property consultant Colliers International conducted Global CBD Parking Rate Survey in 2009, covering 140 cities worldwide.
The survey said Jakarta was the second cheapest city in which to park a car. Jakarta’s average monthly parking fee was US$27.20, higher only than Mumbai’s $25.68.
London City topped the list with $1,020.29 per month, followed by London’s West End and then Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Sydney. The figures were calculated at exchange rates on June 1, 2009.
S. Andyka, a councilor from Commission B overseeing economic affairs, agreed with idea of a zoning system but demanded a thorough study detailing locations and fees to be charged.
Andyka said this year the city council Legislation Board planned to discuss the revision of 2006 bylaw on retribution.
However, he could not say when this would happen because the board were still selecting bylaw drafts to prioritize.
“We will find out the list of priority bylaw drafts on March 3 during a plenary meeting,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Andyka said other drafts that would be prioritized were the 2030 spatial planing bylaw and traditional markets bylaw.
In accordance with the the 2009 Law on Tax and Local Retribution, the city, councilors and members of the public have been encouraged to propose drafts of the retribution bylaw, he said.
Meanwhile, the city’s parking unit will send warning letters to 10 parking operators that breached parking fee regulations.
Parking unit chief Benjamin Bukit told reporters that the violators included Cibubur Junction in Cibubur, Plaza UOB on Jl. Thamrin, Prudential Tower, Gambir train station in Central Jakarta and Century Park Hotel in Senayan, South Jakarta.
“After the first warning, we will give them three days to drop their parking fees back to the official rate,” he said.
The parking unit would warn the violators three times, Benjamin said.
Should they fail to abide by the third warning, their parking lots would be sealed, he said.
Once sealed, if they continue to operate, the Jakarta Transportation Agency will revoke their permits.
He said 77 other operators had returned to the official rates last week after being reminded
that their parking fees were overpriced.
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