AFTER the draft plan was released, many residents expressed their different opinions about the plan.

    Q1: How is the charging standard calculated?

    Many residents thought that it was unreasonable that fees for parking on the roads were much higher than the fees in indoor parking lots.

    Some respondents also thought that 30 minutes was not enough for someone to complete their business as they also needed to spend time parking and walking.

    Q2: Can it help promote green commuting?

    Some residents thought increasing fees should not be the only way to encourage people give up using their cars.

    “Government should make more effort in improving the public transportation network, so that people would choose green commuting voluntarily,” a lawyer surnamed Zhao said.

    Q3: Why is there only one draft to choose from?

    Many residents thought there should be at least two draft plans for residents to choose from. “If the only plan is rejected at the hearing, what will the government do? Does it mean that this only plan has to be approved at the hearing?” a resident surnamed Lu said.

    Q4: Is the payment plan reasonable?

    According to the draft plan, the parking fees should be paid by radio-frequency-based ID or mobile phone application.

    “This means that you have to own a smartphone and register the application. They have to be safe so that your bank information will be protected. Also you have to calculate your parking time precisely so that you won’t underpay or overpay the fees,” a resident surnamed Wang said. “What about those who don’t have a smartphone? What about out-of-town drivers coming to Shenzhen for business? The government should offer more means of payments.”

    Q5: Where will the fees be spent?

    The government said that the fees would be spent “improving the city’s transportation,” but residents hoped that a detailed plan could be given. “The government should make a detailed plan on how to spend every penny of the fees first before implanting the plan. How the money is spent should be supervised,” a resident surnamed Jiang said.

    Q6: Will the increased parking areas make traffic worse?

    The city government plans to increase roadside parking areas to meet drivers’ demands, but some residents thought that the increased areas might make traffic even worse.

    (Wang Yuanyuan)