Experts say better management first, not parking fees hike

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With the City Council studying a proposal to raise on-street parking rates, two urban transportation experts told the Jakarta administration first to improve the management and service of city-owned parking operator BP Perparkiran.

City Transportation Council chairman Sutanto Soehodo said BP Perparkiran must be transparent in managing parking revenue collected from the public.

"A rate increase would only frustrate people if there is no accompanying improvement in parking management," he told The Jakarta Post recently.

The city administration submitted a draft bylaw on regional rates last week, which included a proposal to increase on-street parking fees by 300 percent from the current Rp 1,000 (about 11 US cents) for cars.

However, many councillors said they would likely only approve an increase of 100 percent.

Sutanto, who was elected chairman of the transportation council earlier this month, said BP Perparkiran should open its books to let the public know exactly where the money they paid for parking was going.

BP Perparkiran has long been a target of criticism for its lack of transparency in managing parking revenue.

Last year, its revenue reached about Rp 14 billion, forcing the administration to pony up about Rp 3 billion to cover the parking operator's Rp 17 billion in expenditures.

The parking operator set a revenue target of Rp 29 billion this year, based on the expectation of a 300 percent increase in on-street parking fees.

Sutanto said BP Perparkiran must also improve its service, particularly ensuring the safety of parked vehicles.

Transportation observer Ahmad Syafrudin urged the City Council to reject any rate increase.

He conceded that a rate increase could help the city collect more money to improve the transportation system, and might also ease traffic congestion by encouraging motorists to leave their vehicles at homes.

"However, BP Perparkiran has never been able to improve its service. If the parking rate is increased, I do not think it would be managed well," Ahmad, a former head of the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, said.

"And do not expect people to leave their cars at home and turn to public transportation as long as there is no secure and comfortable form of public transportation available to them," he told the Post.