VietNamNet Bridge - Pavement parking fees will be doubled if Ha Noi's Urban Traffic Safety Steering Committee has its way to stop people abusing the privilege.

The current fees for vehicles using pavements and roads for parking are VND40,000-45,000 (US$1.90-2.19) per square metre per month.

"The fees are too low thus many keepers of parking places let car owners encroach on public roads and pavements, blocking the traffic," said Nguyen Tien Minh, deputy director of the Ha Noi Department of Transport and a member of the city's Urban Traffic Safety Steering Committee.

The steering committee has proposed to the municipal People's Committee that the fees be increased.

Over the past two months, the city's steering committee checked vehicle parking places in 10 districts and ticketed 81 violators, for a total fine of VND1.45 billion ($70,730). Twenty-eight of those fined did not have a business licence, 38 places illegally encroached on pavements and roads and 67 places collected fees exceeding the regulated levels.

Among those who encroached on public pavements and roads were keepers of parking places at the Viet Nam National Institute of Ophthalmology and the National Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, said Minh.

But residents did not agree with the proposal.

"Increasing fees for using pavements for vehicle parking means keepers of the parking places will raise their fees and residents will be affected," said Nguyen Thi Hang whose mother often goes to hospital for health checks and treatment of stomachache.

Resident Le Thanh Mai wondered why authorities did not increase fines for encroaching on pavements instead of increasing fees for renting them.

However, Minh said that last year, the municipal People's Committee increased the fine to VND25 million ($1,220) for businesses encroaching on roads and pavements but the fine was not enforceable.

"The fine was too high, thus violators found every way possible to ignore it or delay paying it," said Minh.

Nguyen Van Manh, of Hoan Kiem District Police, said police issued a penalty notice to a manager of a parking spot on Tran Hung Dao Street VND25 million ($1,220) last year but until now he had not paid the fine.

Minh said the steering committee also proposed the municipal People's Committee to ask the Department of Health to join with the Department of Transport in managing vehicle parking places at hospitals.

If hospitals cannot provide vehicle parking places in the hospital grounds, their management boards should work with district People's Committees to find a place to park vehicles.

Regulated fees for vehicle parking were VND2,000 ($0.09) per bicycle and VND3,000 ($0.14) per motorbike but vehicle keepers often charged VND3,000-5,000 ($0.14-0.24) instead, he said.

The Ha Noi Department of Transport gives permission for keepers of parking places to use a part of pavements to keep vehicles, and the keepers must pay a monthly fee to the districts' People's Committees.

Source: VNS