City Hall warns defiant parking lot operators

JAKARTA (JP): City administration is to send its first warning letters on Monday to stubborn private parking lot operators, who disparage the city regulation by continuing to charge higher parking fees than the official rate, officials said on Friday.

Should the operators refuse to obey the warning letters to lower their rates, the city administration will start sealing off their parking machines, booths and gates from June 1 and allow motorists to enter the parking lots on free-of-charge basis, the officials explained.

"Officials of the City Parking Agency will conduct regular covert operations on weekends to collect evidence on parking lots that still charge higher fees," city spokesman Muhayat told reporters at City Hall.

"The warning letters, to be signed on Monday, will be based on the monitoring result conducted this weekend," he added.

Gubernatorial decree No.1698/1999 sets the first hour parking fee at Rp 1,000 (13 US cents) at busy areas and Rp 500 at less busy areas.

Parking operators excused their non-compliance because of confusion on when the lower fee is to be effective, May 1 or June 1.

"The operators were supposed to lower the parking fee by May 1, but city administration will give time for them to change their systems and signboards until May 31," Muhayat said.

"Meantime, they are urged to register their parking lots at the agency to acquire required licenses," he said, adding that the process was free of charge.

According to Muhayat, Governor Sutiyoso has asked the agency to follow all legal procedures.

"The agency must take firm actions against all defiant parking operators without skipping the procedures. We must uphold the supremacy of the law," the governor was quoted as saying by Muhayat.

The city administration learned a lesson after it lost a lawsuit for sealing off the headquarters of the widely diversified Humpuss Group of companies without any prior warning letters.

Interviewed separately, acting Deputy Governor for Economic and Finance affairs Budihardjo Soekmadi told reporters that there would be no mercy for disobedient operators.

"We will seal off the parking booths and machines of the stubborn ones starting from June 1 and allow motorists to park their cars.

We won't seal off the parking lots because residents need the facilities," he said.

"It means residents can park their vehicles for free at the defiant parking lots," he added.

The tough decision will be carried out only after the parking lot operators receive three warning letters from the city administration, to be sent each Monday beginning May 8 to May 22.

The threat, however, has been challenged by the Indonesian Association of Shopping Complex Management (APPBI), saying it would file a lawsuit against city administration for closing the parking lots.

"They don't have any rights to seal off our parking lots as stipulated by the 1997 Governmental Regulation on Tax and Levy for Regional Administrations," association chairman of Jakarta chapter, Stefanus Ridwan said recently.

"City administration has no right to intervene with privately- run parking lots. If they were built by the administration, it would be fine to set the fee," he added.

Budihardjo, however, said the regulation was to protect the interest of residents from skyrocketing parking fees.

"Our intention is to set uniform low parking fees," he said.

The main alleged antagonist rejecting the lower parking fee is PT Securindo Packatama Indonesia, which under the name Secure Parking, manages many parking lots at shopping centers and office buildings in the capital.

Drivers parking on lots under its supervision are usually charged Rp 2,000 per hour on average, double the official rate.

Many residents criticized the operator as it couldn't assure the safety of vehicles parked on its premises.

"What is so 'secure' with Secure Parking then, if it can't secure my car," was the typical complaint voiced by residents after their cars were stolen or damaged.

Company president Rustam Rahmat and other executives were reluctant to speak to the press about the matter.

Muhayat admitted that Secure Parking was the forerunner of operators defying city administration's ruling on parking fees.

"If you don't want to pay the parking fee, don't park here," he quoted the company as saying at a meeting last Tuesday. (nvn)