Parking meters may refuse coins from May 1

If a relevant bill passes the parliament tomorrow, drivers will only be allowed to pay road-side parking fees by electronic means from May 1.

The First Standing Committee of the parliament has concluded its discussion on the Bill concerning public parking services and compiled its opinions.

It is proposed to take effect on Aug. 1, with an exception for road-side parking fee payment, which is proposed to take effect in May.

After the concluding session, president Ella Lei of the committee told a press conference that all parking services operated or commissioned by the government will take both cash and electronic payment methods, except for two scenarios, as the bill proposes.

The two scenarios are when public parking lots clearly state the acceptance of only a single payment method, and in cases of road-side parking spaces.

There were some debates at the committee on the proposal restricting parking meters to accept electronic payments only. In explanation, the government said that the current facilities used are aged, but newer facilities that the government prefers either only take electronic payment methods or are more expensive when they take both methods.

The government also blamed the current facilities for slow speeds in interface reaction and data transmission.

Future parking fees will be determined by the Chief Executive with Executive Dispatch.

Several drivers questioned the grounds for electronic-payment-only parking meters when they discussed the matter with local media Macao Daily News. One driver thought that public policies should be at the public’s convenience.

Another driver moaned that the public opinions are not important to the government. “The government is so bossy that it didn’t even consider asking the people,” the driver said.

A Mr Lei cited foreign parking meters, which charge drivers after their parking times, to criticize the government for not changing its mentality.