Learning to solve parking problems
Learning to solve parking problems
The Jakarta City Administration invited a group of reporters
to visit the Philippine capital of Manila last week in order to
learn how the administration can improve its parking services to
the public here. The Jakarta Post reporter Ida Indawati Khouw
participated in the trip and filed the following report on the
parking business in Manila.
MANILA (JP): The Jakarta local government has repeatedly
claimed to suffer serious headaches in handling the chronic
parking problems in the capital and asked for a short course on
the matter from the Metro Manila administration.
Such a course might not be desperately needed if Jakarta
Governor Sutiyoso, or the next governor, and his staff of related
agencies copied the diligence and tough and consistent law
enforcement adopted by their Filipino counterparts.
Although the city is still facing abundant urban problems,
such as endless traffic jams like many major cities in the
region, Manila could be dubbed a successful city for managing the
parking problem, particularly in the crowded Makati central
business district (CBD).
The parking officials in Makati strictly impose the rules
without looking at the status of the vehicle owners.
If someone parks his or her car in the crowded area for three
hours and goes over the time limit by one minute, they should
have 500 pesos (US$12.80) ready as the vehicle will be
immediately impounded at the headquarters of Makati Parking
Authority Inc. (MAPA).
Here the owner will be charged 300 pesos for the towing
service and a fine worth 200 pesos.
As in Jakarta, Manila does not have adequate methods to clock
regulated parking. But that does not mean that parking
officials will tolerate those breaching the time limit.
The parking fee for the first two hours is set at 30 pesos per
car.
"But if you extend for another hour, you'll be given another
ticket with a blue box signed with a 40 pesos fee," MAPA's
general manager Deogracias Q. San Miguel told the visiting
journalists from Jakarta.
If the parking officials find later that the parked car has
exceeded the three-hour limit, they will immediately impose a
rule that the car should leave the site first instead of staying
longer.
The 11-year-old system, Deogracias said, proved to be a
successful technique adopted by Manila in reducing the number of
cars parked on the street in the six-square-kilometer CBD, which
used to be a popular spot for traffic congestion.
Ten years ago, it served a total of 1.4 million cars in
Makati's street parking lots. Last year, the figure dropped to
some one million cars.
The enforcement of the rule "should start with imposing
disciplines, starting with those in higher positions," Deogracias
said.
He said the new system was merely aimed at reducing the number
of cars parked on the street while promoting parking in lots
provided by buildings.
"Usually, people are reluctant to park their cars in the lots
available in certain buildings because the location is usually
far away from where they want to go. So besides limiting the
parking hours, we also impose high fees," he said.
"The high fee is not aimed at collecting more money but to
decrease the number of cars parked on the street," he said.
Unlike Jakarta, where motorists do not receive a receipt from
parking officials, allowing them to impose whatever amount they
please, MAPA officers give the first two-hour parking ticket --
signed with a green box on the top right-hand corner -- with the
car number and parking time written on it.
In one day, Makati management tows 30 cars, including those
parked on no-parking sites.
Tow trucks are always ready at several strategic areas from 7
a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
"After that, parking is free of charge because it has become
an almost deserted area," Deogracias said.
Like Jakarta and many other cities, Manila also provides no
safety insurance for vehicles to owners.
"I think in every country, like Japan and the United States,
the fee for parking on the street does not cover insurance. The
fee is just calculated as a privilege for using the facilities.
Of course, we'll try our best to protect the cars from being
damaged or something," he added.
The general manager also acknowledged that there was still the
possibility of collusion among its 200 staff members.
To minimize the cases, MAPA deployed some staff members,
called area leaders, as well as supervisors to control the
parking officials.
"The controllers should deposit parking revenue with the
cashiers at the MAPA office," Deogracias said.
From 1,600 parking spots in Makati, the parking authority
collects an average of 121,000 pesos a day, he explained.
The bookkeeping was made transparent because the monthly
financial report can be easily read on the announcement board by
anyone.
Deogracias said the success story of Makati's parking
management was also a model for other areas managed by the Metro
Manila administration.
It was unfortunate that reporters did not have a chance to
confirm Deogracias' statements due to limited time.
But you don't have to be pessimistic because Deogracias' story
was fully supported by Tennike Erman, the second secretary of the
Indonesian Embassy here.
"The program can be successful because law enforcement is
effective here," Tennike said.
Deogracias said the first and most important way to make the
scheme a success was to provide a good salary to improve the
welfare of the parking officials.
MAPA, a joint venture nonprofit organization between the
private sectors and the city administration of Makati, spent a
large portion of its 800,000 pesos investment on the employees,
he said.
The lowest basic salary of a MAPA parking official is 7,000
pesos, "which is enough to finance a family of three children and
rent a house," he said.
The highest pay is 11,000 pesos.
Besides having a 15-day annual leave and 60-day leave for
maternity, the officials also have a one-day leave every year for
their birthday and three days for a honeymoon.
A married male employee, whose wife just gave birth, also has
a 15-day leave.
"We assume that his wife can't take care of the baby herself
at the moment," Deogracias said.
He ended the interview by saying that 75 percent of the income
is allocated for the employees.