Raimundo do Rosário (right)
The government confirmed its intention to retain the monthly-pass mechanism at public parking lots yesterday, despite opposition from some lawmakers in the Legislative Assembly.
During the one-hour debate over a proposition raised by lawmakers Si Ka Lon and Song Pek Kei to abolish the monthly pass system, some lawmakers deemed the scheme to be obsolete, particularly considering Macau’s current car traffic situation.
“Ordinary citizens have no space for their cars, yet those special bays are unoccupied: It’s an utter waste of resources, which is unfair,” Si expressed, while holding pictures to show the situation unfolding in three car parks in busy districts.
To date, 16 out of 38 parking lots under government supervision are dominated by low-price parking spaces. The first one was built in the late 1980s.
The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, joined the Transport Bureau (DSAT) director Lam Hin San and other officials in acknowledging the problems caused by the arrangement. This system has granted over 4,000 car-owners long-term reservation of parking bays at a price much lower than private ones.
“Everyone has to understand that nobody used those early car parks; the government had to beg people to use them,” said the secretary, who insisted that the ownership of these facilities is still legally protected.
Despite officials earlier pledging to gear the long-standing regulation towards a more favorable deal for the general public, Ho Ion Sang criticized the senior officials’ “negative manner” in addressing the issue. In doing so, he ventured that the current approach to phasing out the parking bays was ineffective. Only users found violating the required terms or giving up their contracts could free the designated space to the public.
Taking inquiries from lawmakers, Rosário said that the authorities would not repeal the system in the short term, and will instead resort to their planned strategies to cope with the predicament, which are to introduce more car parks and raise the costs. “If such measures fail, we’ll consider [repealing the system],” said the secretary.
Responding to lawmakers Wong Kit Cheng and Leong Veng Chai’s inquiry about a timeline on the possible cancelation, the officials stressed that it was not “among the authorities’ tasks in hand” and thus there was no specific timeframe.
Backing the government’s position was Tsui Wai Kwan, one of very few legislators to vocally support the administration yesterday. “Those grantees received the parking spaces according to the laws in that time. Their rights would be denied if we elected to revise the law,” said the appointed lawmaker, who urged the government to “take the matter seriously.”
Throughout the debate, the authorities maintained that they are closely monitoring the monthly-pass holders. However, another lawmaker Lei Cheng I threw doubt on their claim, citing a newspaper’s damning coverage of rife irregularities found in one car park.
The two officials, Raimundo Arrais do Rosário and Lam Hin San, downplayed the case, ruling out any possible flaw in supervision. “In some circumstances, as far as I understand, the cases involve police investigation. There’s always a reason why some illegally parked cars still remain there,” said the DSAT head.
Lawmaker Pereira Coutinho suggested that the authorities should devote part of the idle land, which is due to return to the government in the future from irresponsible developers, as an alternative to help increase supply.
Raimundo do Rosário proclaimed that public housing would have to be prioritized over parking, but hoped to make both parking and housing available when it becomes feasible.
over 400 monthly passes voided
Raimundo do Rosário and Lam Hin San revealed that up to 423 monthly-pass parking bays in public parking lots have become ordinary bays this year, as some of their owners gave up their rights.
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