Industry experts have urged Hong Kong transport authorities to look beyond raising fees to free up metered parking spaces, with the government planning to double the charges from HK$2 (25 US cents) per 15 minutes to HK$4.
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Authorities could consider several methods to make motorists vacate slots, including varying rates, limiting parking time by registering licence plates or even implementing congestion charges or electronic road pricing, experts said.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau last week said that it was proposing to raise parking meter fees from HK$2 per 15 minutes to HK$4 to boost the turnover of vehicles using these spaces to address the short-term needs of drivers.
If approved, the increase will be the first since 1994. The bureau noted that the composite consumer price index had risen by more than 70 per cent during the same 31-year period.
“As the existing parking meter fees are significantly lower than the usual parking fees, some motorists tend to go around in circles to look for or wait for a vacant metered parking space, potentially leading to traffic obstruction,” the bureau said.
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“Motorists also have less incentive to pull out of metered parking spaces, thus lengthening the waiting time for other users.”