'Parking fee hikes up to motorists'

'Parking fee hikes up to motorists'

JAKARTA: Governor Sutiyoso gave operators of off-street parking facilities the green light to raise parking fees, saying that it would be up to motorists whether they would comply with the fee hike or not.

"I have no authority in preventing them from increasing parking fees, therefore I will not interfere with the issue as long as there are no complaints from the public," Sutiyoso said on Monday.

Sutiyoso's statement contradicted an earlier one made by the head of the City Parking Management Board (BP Parkir), Yani Mulyadi, and several councillors, who said that any increase in parking fees should be jointly approved by City Council and the governor.

They referred to Bylaw No.3/1999 on regional fees, which stipulates that any fee increases should be based on a gubernatorial decree approved by the City Council.

Previously, the off-street parking operators association had announced a fee increase of Rp 1,000 an hour to between Rp 1,500 and Rp 2,000, starting on June 2. --JP