Money

Online posting tells of shortcuts to cheap parking

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-12 08:21

In a bid to help people deal with the recent rise in parking fees, a posting on how to park cars economically has appeared on the Internet and has been highlighted as a featured post in auto.mop, a famous automobile forum.

The posting has since spread to hundreds of mainstream websites.

Entitled Tips on Parking Cars in Beijing, 2010, the posting maps out the most economically favorable parking spots in Beijing, covering commercial zones in Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Xuanwu, and Chongwen districts.

It also emphasizes the availability of hutong, residential communities, as well as parking lots owned by banks, restaurants and supermarkets - places likely to be ignored in the past.

According to the recently published regulations by Beijing municipal commission of development and reform, parking fees during the daytime in 13 key commercial zones have been doubled to 5 yuan, 4 yuan and 3 yuan for half an hour, for on-road, off-road and indoor parking lots respectively.

Meanwhile, to improve the efficiency of on-road parking, spaces will cost 50 percent more following the first hour. In other words, it will cost drivers 10 yuan for the first hour and 15 yuan for the second and subsequent hours.

Song Le, chief writer of the online article, said according to the new regulations, eight hours in Xidan district per day will now cost 70 yuan more than in the past.

"Parking fees and related problems are burdens faced by every family," he said, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

A female Beijing resident, surnamed Dai, told METRO: "Every year, we spend at least 25,000 yuan on parking cars."

She and her husband both have cars.

She said she had not read Tips on Parking Cars in Beijing, 2010, but was greatly interested. And when she goes shopping in the Central Business District, she prefers to take the subway.

"Parking fees are expensive on the one hand, but most importantly, the parking spots are always unavailable."

As for her husband, Dai said he does not care about small money such as parking fees.

However, when told about the recent rises in parking fees, her husband said: "If they continue to rise, I'll surely consider taking a taxi."

METRO