The HCMC Department of Transport has just mapped out a scheme for hiking the sidewalk usage fee to VND100,000 (US$4.41) per square meter per month and the parking fee on the roadside to VND20,000-50,000 each time.
According to the department, the city allows temporary use of sidewalks or roadsides for parking lots on 345 roads.
In particular, the sidewalks along 160 roads can be used for vehicle parking while those along 112 other roads can be used by vendors. There are 73 roads where vehicles can be parked on the roadside.
The department said the sidewalk fee of VND12,000 (US$0.53) per square meter per month regulated in Decision 964/QD-UB is too low and is no longer suitable under the current circumstances.
Similarly, the parking fee on the roadside in districts 1, 3 and 5 at VND5,000 per vehicle each time is too low, leading to the illegal use of road for parking.
Therefore, the municipal Department of Transport suggested the new fees for using sidewalks for parking and trading in each district. In particular, the sidewalk usage fee should be VND100,000 per square meter per month in District 1, VND80,000 in District 3, VND50,000 in Districts 5, VND45,000 in District 10, VND40,000 in Phu Nhuan District, VND35,000 in District 11, VND30,000 in districts 4 and Binh Thanh, and VND25,000 in districts 6 and Tan Binh.
Meanwhile, the fee in the remaining districts is recommended to be VND20,000 per square meter per month.
The department also suggested raising parking fees for cars of under 10 seats to VND20,000 during the daytime and VND40,000 during the nighttime in inner-city districts while that of the remaining districts should be VND15,000 in the daytime and VND30,000 in the nighttime.
For cars with more than 10 seats, the parking fee shall be VND25,000 per car per day and VND50,000 per car per night in inner-city districts while that of outlying districts shall be VND20,000 per day and VND40,000 per night.
The Department of Transport said sidewalk fees will not only help maintain urban order and make roads tidier but also increase State budget revenue.
The department has asked the municipal government to pass the scheme to the People’s Council for approval in 2017.