Beijing will finish electronic parking fee system by end of 2019

Beijing plans to complete the electronic toll collection system for roadside parking by the end of 2019, said the authority on Thursday.

Rong Jun, spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, said during a news conference that the government has installed electronic parking meters for 4,086 spots covering six districts in the city area and 37 roads in the Tongzhou district, which is a sub-center of the capital.

“Those meters are now in operation,” he said. “The system is able to not only collect parking fees, but also monitor parking conditions and analyze the data for better service.”

According to the commission, by the end of 2016 Beijing had 3.82 million parking spots, including 2.19 million for residential use.

“The data is collected through a comprehensive survey, which will be used for better parking services for the public,” Rong said.

Moreover, he said a parking regulation is under discussion as the authority accelerates the legalization of parking management.

During the conference, the authority revealed the 2017 traffic index, a major gauge measuring traffic congestion, to be 5.6, a rating that denotes mild congestion, which was also the same in 2016.