Parking fees short in Beijing

A parking warden waits for cars to park in Beijing on Nov 1, 2014. [Photo/CFP]

Liu Fuli, an independent traffic expert in Beijing, said collection of parking fees in many places in Beijing is unregulated, causing problems such as frequent traffic congestion.

"I suspect there are interests exchanged between some companies and some officials," he said. "The relevant transport authorities should intensify their management of the issue to ensure that parking fees collected really go to the public."

Wang Limei, secretary-general of the China Road Transport Association, said Beijing should learn from some other major cities, such as Shenzhen, to reduce government interference in parking fee management.

"It is the market rather than the government that should set the fee for parking," she said.

Liu Yan, with the School of Government at Peking University, told Beijing News that the Beijing municipal government should select fee-collecting companies through a public bidding process and give the public certain powers to supervise them.

Zheng Jinran contributed to this story.