VietNamNet Bridge – The authorities of many districts in Hanoi are criticized for neglecting nearly 100 parking lots that violate the law, while the governments of some wards lend a hand to illegal parking lots.

Cars park on the pavement in front of Ministry of Transport’s office
According to the Hanoi Police Agency, there are more than 1,000 parking lots in the city’s center but around 400 operate illegally. In the past five months, Hanoi police and the Hanoi Department of Transport inspected 270 parking lots and imposed fines worth over VND4.8 billion ($240,000) on these parking lots’ violations.

Popular violations include: having no licenses, illegally using pavements and roads, not posting a price list, collecting high charges, dodging taxes, etc.

While the police are trying to deal with illegal parking lots, the authorities of districts are not enthusiastic with this task. Relevant agencies have asked district governments to impose fines worth VND250 million ($125,000) on parking lots that break the rules but local authorities neglect this.

“There are many violation cases that district authorities do not punish violators and we do not know why?” said senior lieutenant colonel Cao Thang, vice head of the Hanoi Police Agency’s Office.

Thang said that the campus of many offices, companies, schools, hospitals, and public areas around residential areas are now illegally used as parking lots. These parking lots collect high charges and do not pay taxes.

The police officer also said that there are many licensed parking lots that illegally occupy hundreds to thousands of square meters of pavements and roads, causing traffic jams.

“The government invested in building roads and pavements but they occupy these spaces without paying taxes. Income from parking lots is huge. A parking lot in Hoang Dao Thuy occupies nearly 1,500sq.m of roads and nearly 2,000sq.m of pavements, causing serious traffic jams,” Thang added.

According to Thang, the authorities of some wards signed contracts with individuals or private firms to open illegal parking lots.

Some parking lots licensed by the authorities of districts and the Hanoi Department of Transport break Hanoi’s regulations.

Thang proposed to withdraw licenses of parking lots in downtown, close illegal ones and take criminal law against parking lots that violate the laws several times.

The Hanoi Police Agency has put forward some measures to deal with disorder of parking lots in the capital city.

VNE