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Taipei to charge for alley parking

The Taipei Parking Management Office is set to start collecting parking fees in alleys 8m-wide and above starting on Tuesday, but dismissed accusations it was seeking to profit from the new policy.

Parking fees in alleys 8m-wide and above in all 12 municipal districts will range from NT$20 (US$0.60) to NT$40, the office said.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chen Li-hui (陳孋輝) lashed out at the policy, saying it would rob drivers.

"The office made the decision without first holding a public hearing and the reason for expanding parking fees to new areas was to generate additional revenue for the office. How ridiculous," she said yesterday at the Taipei City Council.

"The office collects money quite actively, but is passive when it comes to returning money ... The office and the company should take disciplinary measures against those who were responsible for the mistakes," she told a press conference.

Chen said 205 parking spots along the streets in Wenshan and Shihlin districts, for example, were free of charge.

"Why do you charge parking fees in lanes but not on the street? Is it fair to do so?" Chen asked.

In response, Taipei Parking Management Office director Chang Che-yang (張哲揚) said the office would only charge fees in lanes adjacent to big roads or near public parking lots.

Chang said there would be three fee-charging phases and that the office would first implement the policy in three districts only -- Songshan, Daan and Xinyi.

Chang said that there are 22,556 parking spots in the city's streets and alleys, adding that the office had launched the policy not to make money, but to discourage drivers from occupying spaces in alleys.

"We hope drivers will park their cars in public or private parking lots, rather than on the lanes or in the alleys," he said.

Citing limited parking space, Chen said the policy would not achieve this aim and threatened to launch a protest against the office and the city government should they fail to cancel the policy.
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