(ECNS) - Electronic meters for parking will be possible across all of Beijing by December 1, 2019 after a trial project began last year, Beijing News reported.
Beijing currently has 43 roads, with more than 4,800 parking spaces, where electronic parking payment options are established. By the end of June, a total of 2.179 million electronic parking transactions had been recorded in the city.
Electronic parking meters are usually equipped with either magnetic induction to record parking duration or video cameras to record duration and license plate numbers.
More than 75,000 users and 42,000 license plates have registered with a Beijing Transport Commission app that facilitates parking.
In Beijing’s Chaoyang District, a state-owned company would be established to administer parking, and it would gradually take control of roadside parking lots in the district, an official said.
Currently, Beijing's transport authorities allow private firms to hire staff, who are often migrant workers, to collect parking fees. These workers can often be seen on bicycles chasing drivers who have attempted to leave without paying the appropriate fee.
Electronic toll systems can effectively avoid unreasonable or privately negotiated fees and help management authorities clearly understand parking conditions, according to an official with Beijing Transport Commission.
Chen Yanyan, dean of the College of Metropolitan Transportation at Beijing University of Technology, also said electronic parking tolls can prevent disputes arising from parking problems.
