TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei is considering raising parking fees at public spaces to increase turnover rates while promoting the use of public transportation.
The capital has struggled to meet the city’s parking demand despite boasting 250 public parking lots and 50,000 roadside parking spots. Currently, the city charges NT$10 (US$0.36) to NT$60 per hour depending on the facility and location, while the new proposal is looking to increase the maximum fee up to NT$150 per hour, per Liberty Times.
Lo Chih-hao (羅志浩), an official of the city’s Parking Management and Development Office, explained that details of the plan are still being hammered out and that it’s likely an NT$80 cap will be adopted first. Further assessment will be conducted to determine whether there is a need to hike the fee to NT$100, NT$120, or NT$150, to better address parking woes.
The official added that this will not be a blanket fee rise, but implemented at “hot areas” defined as those with a parking occupancy of more than 90%, to try and prevent a single spot from being occupied for too long. Xinyi and Ximen commercial districts are among the locations targeted, UDN quoted Lo as saying.
Acknowledging a potential backlash, Lo noted the fees have not been adjusted for 25 years, while many private lots are already charging NT$100 an hour. Saying that a hike is likely to be applied during special events such as the Lunar New Year, he encouraged people to take public transport to avoid parking difficulties.
