Motorists urged not to pay to park at 133 sites

JAKARTA (JP): The city's parking management agency has urged motorists not to pay parking fees at 133 spots in the city, including a number of malls, hospitals and buildings.

Head of the agency's program supervision unit, Bob Asa Hutagalung, said that all licenses to collect parking fees had expired on May 23 and that many site managers had yet to apply to renew them.

"So don't pay the parking fees at the 133 locations. We consider any levies collected at these sites to be illegal," Bob told the media.

He said motorists should no longer pay for parking at Blok M Plaza in South Jakarta, LIA English school on Jl. Pramuka in East Jakarta, and at Garuda Indonesia's headquarters on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta.

Other areas include Pulogadung bus terminal and Mitra Keluarga hospital in Kampung Melayu, both in East Jakarta; Atrium Senen shopping center in Central Jakarta; and Medistra hospital on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Pertamina hospital on Jl. Kyai Maja and Pondok Indah Mall, all South Jakarta, Bob said.

The agency said there are 318 sites in the city where the collection of parking fees must take place under license.

The enactment of Law No.18/1997 on May 23 ended the city administration's right to collect certain taxes and levies including parking fees. As a consequence, all licenses which the agency had issued for the collection of parking fees expired immediately, Bob explained.

"The management of all 318 parking sites were thereafter under no obligation to contribute a percentage of their parking revenues to the administration and thus they no longer had the right to collect parking fees from people parking cars in their areas," he argued.

Site managers were immediately asked to apply for new licenses to collect parking fees.

Bob said that among the 185 sites which already held new licenses were Hotel Indonesia, Bank Bumi Daya Plaza, Price Mart stores, Hero supermarkets, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Le Meridien Hotel, Plaza Indonesia shopping center, Bakmi Gajah Mada restaurants, Gramedia bookstores, Omni Batavia Hotel, Metropole theater and Fatmawati hospital.

He did not disclose what the new licenses cost to buy.

Bob's appeal to the public was warmly welcomed by the head of City Council Commission D for development, Ali Wongso Sinaga.

The councilor advised the public to first check the status of parking fee collection licenses before paying any money.

"People do not have any obligation to pay parking fees at the 133 places which have not yet applied for a new license," he said.

Ali also noted that many privately managed parking areas charged fees higher than those set out in the regulations.

The city currently sets parking fees at Rp 500 for the first hour. The hourly rate thereafter is set by the parking management under the governor's approval.

"In reality there are many shopping centers and office buildings which charge motorists Rp 1,000 or more for the first hour," said Ali, citing Pasaraya department store as one example. (cst)