Hong Kong government proposes doubling metered parking fees to as much as HK$20 per hour
Fears that rise may cause private car parks to also increase their fees
The government has proposed doubling the maximum metered parking fee to at least HK$4 or HK$5 for every 15 minutes, as the fee has not been adjusted for 23 years.
However, the Hong Kong Automobile Association said they opposed a large scale increase in fees as it feared the move might cause private car parks to follow suit.
In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council by the Transport and Housing Bureau on Thursday, it said the existing parking fee of HK$2 per 15 minutes had not been adjusted since 1994 and the proposed increase could help relieve traffic congestion.
“Increasing the metered parking fee can discourage motorists from circulating or double parking on roads waiting for metered parking spaces. This will have the added benefit of discouraging prolonged parking,” the bureau said.
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But the association argued increasing fees would not help deterring vehicles from circulating or double parking on roads.
“To relieve these problems, we propose that in some busy districts, the government change the two-hour meters to a shorter duration or introduce shorter parking periods like 15 minutes or 30 minutes,” it said.