Tow trucks target motorists who park illegally or remove plates

Sly drivers who use tricks to avoid paying Beijing's parking fees now face having their cars towed, police have warned.

Following the citywide parking rate increase, authorities discovered that a growing number of motorists are simply removing the license plates from stationary cars and vans to prevent traffic officers from issuing tickets.

Although there are no official statistics, complaints about the problem have been on the rise, said Zhang Guoqing, deputy director of the Hujialou area traffic police in Chaoyang district.

To combat the trend, police now tow any offending vehicle to a designated lockup. Next to where they are parked, officers will write the number of a 24-hour hotline in chalk on the ground for drivers to call.

On top of the standard fine of 200 yuan, anyone caught using such tricks to dodge the charges will have to pay an extra 200 yuan to retrieve their vehicle. Six penalty points will also be added to their license (12 points in one year results in an automatic driving ban).

Motorists who park in a way that severely affects other road users, such as blocking a bicycle lane, also run the risk of suffering the same punishment, warned Zhang.

In the capital's central business district last Friday, traffic police towed two vehicles in just 10 minutes - a small car without a license plate and a van parked across a bicycle lane. The van driver, who arrived as technicians attached the vehicle to a tow truck, pleaded with officers to be let off as he had only parked briefly and was unable to find an alternative spot. He was fined the full 400 yuan for "endangering cyclists".

Guo, an office worker who watched the incident but did not want to give his full name, told METRO that, as a driver, he completely understands why some people risk parking illegally.

"The government has increased parking fees in downtown areas, but we have to park our cars here for at least eight hours a day and to some that's already a considerable daily cost," he said.

Authorities increased parking fees in non-residential areas on April 1 as part of efforts to ease the capital's chronic congestion problems. To park on the roadside now costs 10 yuan for the first hour and 15 yuan for every hour after that, while underground and off-street parking now cost 6 yuan and 8 yuan an hour respectively. The revised fees apply from 7 am until 9 pm inside the Third Ring Road and several neighboring business areas.

Hujialou police chief Zhang dismissed complaints that the hike was unfair and explained most people park illegally for convenience.

"In this (central) business district, many can afford to park their cars at parking lots, but they often have to drive around to find a parking lot. So instead, they park their cars illegally," he said, pointing to a Mercedes Benz that was about to receive a ticket.