Firm offers to end city parking chaos<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A private company has offered to solve the
\ncity's parking woes and crack down on "disappearing" parking fees
\nin a joint venture with the municipality, an official said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Deputy Governor for Economics and Finance Harun Al Rasyid said
\nthat PT Mega Nusa Agung Makmur was the 20th company in the last
\nnine years to lodge a proposal.<\/p>\n
"We have not decided anything yet. But we will thoroughly
\nexamine all of the proposals. We have welcomed every proposal
\nfrom private companies to manage the city's parking," he said.<\/p>\n
Under its proposal, the company intends to develop a
\ncomputerized ticketing system to prevent manipulation.<\/p>\n
The company will also provide reasonable wages for parking
\nattendants to prevent them from engaging in corruption or other
\ndishonest acts.<\/p>\n
It plans to conduct research to catalog every available
\nparking lot and create more off-street parking to reduce traffic
\ncongestion.<\/p>\n
Data from the city parking agency reveals that there are 2,500
\nparking attendants operating in the city.<\/p>\n
When asked why it had taken the municipality so long to choose
\na company to manage city parking, Harun said it was a very
\ncomplicated matter and many companies rescinded their offer
\nbecause of the size of the task.<\/p>\n
Harun acknowledged it was difficult to prevent parking on the
\nstreets, which contributed to heavy traffic congestion in the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
The municipality could not force building owners or managers
\nto build parking lots in their complexes, he said.<\/p>\n
"We don't have the authority to make them build parking lots.
\nThe best we can do now is to consider every offer made by the
\nprivate companies and decide which is the best."<\/p>\n
Some of the companies which have proposed to manage city
\nparking lost interest after further evaluation of the chronic
\nparking problems, including the illegal collection of fees.<\/p>\n
The head of the parking agency, Sumaryono, has admitted that
\nthere are no sufficient regulations to control the operation of
\nparking attendants.<\/p>\n
Most of the parking fees "disappear" and the city has no
\ncontrol over it.<\/p>\n
Another company, PT Kartika Talang Mas, proposed a parking
\nsolution which included reimbursing motorists if their cars were
\nstolen from parking lots.<\/p>\n
The company -- which is 17 percent owned by the Army's Kartika
\nEka Paksi Foundation -- made the proposal to City Council in May
\nlast year.<\/p>\n
The company proposed a parking fee of Rp 1,000 (0.16 U.S.
\ncents) for the first hour and Rp 500 for subsequent hours for
\ncars. Motorcycles would be charged a flat rate of Rp 500.<\/p>\n
Of the initial Rp 1,000 fee for cars, Rp 500 would be used for
\nparking, Rp 300 for insurance and Rp 200 for the National Sports
\nCouncil (KONI).<\/p>\n
The company said the sports fund would help cover the cost of
\ntraining athletes.<\/p>\n
The Rp 500 parking fee for motorcycles would comprise of Rp
\n300 for parking, Rp 100 for insurance and Rp 100 for KONI.<\/p>\n
An insurance company would cover the cost of stolen or damaged
\nvehicles at parking lots if owners reported the incident within
\n48 hours, the company said.<\/p>\n
Motorists would have to show a parking ticket and their claims
\nwould have to be supported by parking attendants.<\/p>\n
However, personal possessions and car accessories, like tape
\nplayers, would not be covered.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) had earlier voiced
\nits support for the proposal, saying that currently there was no
\nprotection for motorists who parked their car.<\/p>\n
City councilor Amarullah Asbah of Commission C for city
\nrevenue said that any parking proposal should prioritize
\nmotorists' safety and comfort.<\/p>\n
"The municipality should evaluate all proposed parking schemes
\nby private companies and select the best proposal."<\/p>\n
He said the city should test all proposals before making a
\ndecision if necessary.<\/p>\n
There are reportedly 2,450,000 cars and 4,238,000 motorcycles
\nin the city.<\/p>\n
"So I think the municipality must decide soon because parking
\nis an issue that is getting worse every day." (edt\/ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/firm-offers-to-end-city-parking-chaos-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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