Transparent parking system urged<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Iwan, a resident of Setiabudi area, South Jakarta, could not help
\nbut wonder how the road shoulders close to his house were allowed
\nto used as a parking space that accommodated some 120 vehicles.<\/p>\n
He said that the person collecting parking fees did not wear
\nthe parking attendant's uniform and was required to pay Rp
\n200,000 to his \"boss\" each day.<\/p>\n
\"The boss is also required to pay Rp 100,000 to someone else
\nwho, I don't know how, can arrange that the illegal business
\ntakes place smoothly.\"<\/p>\n
With almost every space in the city being used for on-street
\nparking for some five million cars, the attendants of a
\ndiscussion on the potential of parking fees as a great source of
\nrevenue could not understand why the city has to subsidize the
\ncompany tasked to collect the fees, BP Perpakiran.<\/p>\n
Last year, BP Perparkiran's spending reached Rp 15.09 billion
\n(US$1.5 million), while its revenue from fee collection only Rp
\n14.16 billion. In 2003, the spending was Rp 15.80 billion, while
\nits revenue was Rp 15.46 billion. And in 2002, the spending was
\nRp 17.52 billion, while its revenue was Rp 14.77 billion.<\/p>\n
According to Gubernatorial Decree No. 177\/2002 regarding on-
\nstreet parking, there are 517 on-street parking locations, each
\nof which can accommodate 13,185 vehicles.<\/p>\n
During the discussion held by the Jakarta Residents Forum
\n(Fakta) last Thursday, participants learned that the number of
\non-street parking locations could be double what had been stated
\nin the decree.<\/p>\n
Fakta calculated that from the official on-street parking
\nlocations alone, the city must be able to collect some Rp 850
\nbillion each year.<\/p>\n
\"That is if BP Perparkiran implements a transparent collection
\nsystem. But apparently the officials are reluctant to do so
\nbecause with the current system they can pocket additional
\nincome,\" said Fakta's executive Tubagus Haryo Karbiyanto.<\/p>\n
Under the current system, parking attendants are required to
\ngive 70 percent of their respective turnover from parking fees
\nthey collect to BP Perparkiran.<\/p>\n
Also a speaker in the discussion, head of the Indonesian
\nConsumers Foundation (YLKI) for transportation issues,
\nSudaryatmo, pointed to the weak monitoring from BP Perparkiran as
\nthe reason why not most of the parking revenue went to the city
\ncoffers.<\/p>\n
\"I suggested a change in the system which requires parking
\nattendants to deposit all of earnings from the parking fees to
\nthe city treasury while they are given a fixed salary,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The urban activists discovered that the absence of a
\nmonitoring system in BP Perparkiran has helped the illegal
\nparking business mushroom, where the money was distributed to a
\nnumber of parties including certain officials at the agency,
\npolice officers, thugs and the parking fee collectors.<\/p>\n
\"The city now has two options: enforce a better system or just
\ndissolve BP Perparkiran, because with the current system, the
\nmajority of the turnover from parking fees goes to the agency's
\nofficials,\" Tubagus said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/transparent-parking-system-urged-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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