Administration to restructure parking authority

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration plans to restructure the management of the city's parking agency, BP Parkir, to improve its performance and increase its contribution to city coffers.

The deputy governor for economic and development affairs, TB. M. Rais, said yesterday that restructuring was the last option for the agency, which has failed to produce substantial funds for the city revenue office.

"It is time to do something to BP Parkir, which has failed to live up to our expectations," he said after the City Council's plenary hearing.

The hearing was also attended by Governor Surjadi Soedirdja and City Council Speaker M.H. Ritonga.

Rais said that it is too early to announce details of the plan, saying only that Jakarta deserves a modern parking system as well as parking lots to replace on-the-street parking.

The council's Commission D for development affairs criticized the agency yesterday for its inability to maximize revenues in a a city with 1.7 million vehicles.

"It is time for the parking agency to improve its performance because the parking sector has a potential to be one of leading contributors to city revenues," said Bahriyoen Soetjipto, a commission spokesman.

BP Parkir has been under fire for years because of its inability to collect more funds from parking tickets. In 1991/1992, it collected Rp 3 billion, far below the Rp 6 billion earned in Surabaya.

Observers said that if 400,000 cars were parked once a day, with Rp 300 fee, the agency would earn Rp 120 million a day, or more than Rp 43 billion per year.

There are currently 200 on-the-street parking sites, a decrease from 600 in 1988.

He said that many parking attendants steal the money they collect and give the agency an amount of money based on the number of tickets sold. "In reality many drivers are not given tickets when parking their cars," he said. (yns)