In the past, some parking lots used "round-up" charging, which saved trouble in operation and management, but passed the cost on to consumers. The public’s complaints about “an extra minute of parking and extra charge for an hour” are not due to fussing over gains and losses of a few dollars, but rather a simple pursuit of fair consumption and contractual reciprocity.
Many car owners may have had some troubles: once the parking time happens to pass a certain node, the bill will suddenly "jump": 61 minutes will be charged as 2 hours. Looking at the numbers on the screen, I can't help but mutter: It's just one more minute, why do you charge so much more? This kind of "round-up" charge of "staying for an extra minute, charging an extra half hour or even an hour" has long been an annoyance to the majority of car owners and has become a hidden pain in urban travel.
Since this year, many places have begun to optimize parking charging rules. Some public parking lots in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province have changed from "rounding up" to per-minute pricing. The Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission publicly solicited opinions on the road parking charging policy optimization plan in June this year. It plans to stipulate that vehicles parking in Shanghai road parking lots (within the same road section) are free for 15 minutes (inclusive). If the parking time exceeds 15 minutes, parking will be charged from the beginning of the parking time; a single vehicle can enjoy two short-term free parkings per calendar day in the city. Nanchang, Jiangxi, Changsha, Hunan and other places have also optimized urban road parking management rules. Public parking charges are moving towards a more fair, transparent and precise direction, which not only better protects the rights and interests of consumers, but also reflects profound changes in the logic of urban governance.
From "rounding by the hour" to "billing by the minute", there are changes in real conditions behind it. In the past, some parking lots used "round-up" charging, which saved trouble in operation and management, but passed the cost on to consumers. However, with the popularization of electronic payment, license plate recognition, and smart parking systems, it is no longer difficult to accurately record vehicle entry and exit times and automatically calculate fees. When the technical conditions are in place, there is no sufficient reason to continue to use the extensive billing method. If "industry practice" or "technical limitations" are used as an excuse to adopt a "rounding up" parking fee method, it will inadvertently infringe on consumer rights.
The public’s complaints about “an extra minute parked and an extra hour charged” are not due to fussing over gains and losses of a few dollars, but rather a simple pursuit of fair consumption and contractual reciprocity. The parking fee reform implemented in some areas is a positive response to this reasonable demand. Minute-by-minute billing not only makes the cost closer to the actual usage time, but also breaks information asymmetry, allowing consumers to understand every penny spent and feel the fairness of public services.
The "subtraction" of parking fees results in the "addition" of urban vitality. Many citizens' parking needs are temporary and random. If you pass by a small store and want to buy something, you may drive away when you see that parking is inconvenient; if you want to take your family to go shopping in the neighborhood in the evening, your interest will be dampened when you think about the high cost of parking. For urban fireworks, parking fee reform can better retain passenger flow, clear the "capillaries" of urban traffic and commercial microcirculation, and achieve a win-win situation of social and economic benefits.
Next, the parking charging model can continue to be optimized. First, design standards based on local conditions. Parking needs are different in core areas, residential areas, around hospitals and schools, commercial blocks, etc., and the charging rules should also be different. One table cannot govern everything. Secondly, we should implement a "combination" of policies such as short-term free parking, time-of-use charging, night discounts, and peak-shift sharing to not only increase the turnover rate of parking spaces, but also meet the daily needs of the people. Finally, publicity and supervision must be strengthened. Charging standards, free time, billing starting points, and complaint channels should be clearly displayed to avoid new opacity in the implementation of the "billing by minute" rule. In addition, for parking lots that are lagging behind in equipment renovation, we must promote system upgrades and not let good policies get stuck in the "last mile."
The modernization of urban governance is often hidden in the details of people's livelihood. The combination of technical capabilities and people-centered governance logic can be transformed into "embroidery skills" that serve people's livelihood. It is expected that the parking fee reform, which is full of goodwill, reflects wisdom and pursues fairness, can move from "pilots in many places" to the whole country. Let urban governance be more detailed and warm in precise billing every minute.
