Legislator Assesses DKI Parking Issues as Reaching Emergency Governance Stage

Jakarta must boldly implement 100% non-cash parking payments. Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Hardiyanto Kenneth, assesses that the parking issues in the capital have reached an emergency stage in governance and can no longer be considered merely technical problems in the field. Kenneth highlights the weak supervision of the Parking Management Unit (UP) Perparkiran, the prevalence of illegal parking, leakages in regional revenue, and the cash payment system, which is seen as a loophole for extortion practices. “This is no longer a small issue. The chaos in Jakarta’s parking has reached an emergency level. I see serious problems in supervision, transparency, and the effectiveness of the UPT Parkir’s work,” said Kenneth in Jakarta on Sunday. The member of Commission C of the DKI Jakarta DPRD even questions the performance of the UPT Parkir, which is deemed unable to provide service certainty to the public or optimise Local Own-Source Revenue (PAD). If necessary, he continued, there should be a transparent and open re-tendering for operators deemed to have failed in running the parking system professionally. “I seriously question, for whom is the UPT Parkir actually working? Because the public is still forced to face unofficial parking fees at almost every point. Parking levies are never optimal, while in the field, there is an impression of systematic neglect,” he stated. Kenneth also calls for a comprehensive audit of the electronic parking system, official parking points, and the flow of parking levy revenues, which have long been questioned by the public. “There should be no more cash transactions. As long as cash money still circulates in the parking system, PAD leakages will continue to occur. Jakarta must dare to implement 100% non-cash parking payments through QRIS, electronic cards, or digital applications that are directly integrated with the government system,” he emphasised. Furthermore, Kenneth mentions that many countries have successfully implemented modern digital-based parking systems, such as Singapore, which uses an integrated Electronic Parking System (EPS) that is fully digital and non-cash. He also cites South Korea’s success in implementing smart parking based on sensors and real-time applications. Then, there are the Netherlands and Germany, which have successfully reduced parking revenue leakages through electronic systems and strict supervision. “They use smart parking systems and strict supervision of on-street parking. European countries also implement high parking tariffs to regulate land use in city centres. Like in New Zealand, they are known for transparent parking management, where parking revenues are reallocated for public services and use a non-cash payment system,” he said.