Residents denounce new parking rates in Medan

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

The public have lashed out at exorbitant parking fees newly imposed by the local government at six spots in Medan, saying that the fees, seven times higher than previously, are a great burden on the public.

"These are the highest parking fees in Indonesia, possibly even all of Southeast Asia," said Abdul Hadi, secretary to the social and economic research institute at North Sumatra University (USU).

The average parking fee for cars in Jakarta, for example, ranges from Rp 1,000 to Rp 2,000 per hour.

Abdul was commenting on a recent controversial bylaw passed by Medan legislative council, which increased parking fees in six spots in Medan from Rp 1,000 to Rp 7,500.

The six spots were parts of streets along Jl. Thamrin, Jl. AIP Tubun, Jl. Sutomo, Jl. Pandu, Jl. Cirebon and Jl. Achmad Yani.

The spots were adjacent to shops along the streets, where people usually parked their cars and motorcycles.

The new fees are imposed on all types of cars and motorcycles wishing to park. Cars are charged Rp 7,500 per hour, pickup vans below three tons Rp 10,000, buses or tanker trucks Rp 12,000 and motorcycles Rp 2,000 per hour.

The decision, which was taken at a council plenary meeting last week, has split even the council itself.

Of the total 45 members of Medan legislative council, 20 agreed that the regulation, proposed by the Medan municipal government, had to be put into effect.

Eight members from the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction rejected the bylaw, one member abstained and the remaining 16 were absent from the plenary meeting.

"Having passed the bylaw, the legislative council has merely become a rubber stamp of the Medan municipal government. It no longer represents the aspirations of Medan people," said Abdul.

However, chairman of the council's special committee on parking Harmain Oesmain defended the policy.

He said that the newly imposed parking fee was instrumental in overcoming severe traffic congestion in the six spots, which were among the city's main thoroughfares.

A similar argument was also made by Medan mayor Abdillah.

According to Abdillah, by imposing exorbitant parking fees at those spots, they could deter motorists from parking there, leaving space for cars and motorcycles to pass by, thus allowing the traffic to flow smoothly.

However, chairman of the PAN faction Putrama Al Khairi rejected the argument. He said that the raising of parking fees would not overcome the problem of traffic congestion on Medan's main thoroughfares.

In order to reduce traffic congestion, the local government and council would have to impose a policy that limited the number of cars and motorcycles in Medan, he said, without elaborating.