Kathmandu, July 21

Kathmandu Metropolitan City is preparing to hike parking fee by up to five times in the core areas. KMC is also planning to provide separate parking lots to public vehicles.

KMC has a legal provision of charging five rupees per hour

for two-wheelers and Rs 20 per hour for the four-wheelers in such areas. If new parking rules come into effect, bike owners will have to pay Rs 25 per hour and owners of four-wheelers will pay Rs 80 per hour in the core areas of the city. Heavy vehicles will have to pay Rs 100 per hour in such areas.

A report prepared by KMC has identified 82 parking areas in the busy marketplaces of the city. The report has also stated that road side parking will not exceed more than 25 per cent of the total width of roads.

According to the spokesperson for KMC GyanendraKarki, the parking areas will be divided into two categories on the basis of traffic congestion. Core market areas in New Road, Dharmapath, Kantipath, Tripureshwor, Durbarmarg, Putalisadak and Baneshwor will be categorised as highly congested area where the parking fee will be high. Parking areas in less congested areas will be Rs 15 for two-wheelers and Rs 40 for four-wheelers.

The report which suggested these changes was endorsed by KMC Council Meeting on July 11. It was also stated that the new rule will come into effect from July 17. The KMC, however, has not yet started allocating parking lots in these areas.

According to Karki, they will start allocating parking lots in a few days. The responsibilities of managing the parking lots will be given to private contractors.

“We have introduced the new rule to discourage businessman and shopkeepers, who keep their vehicles all day long in busy market streets outside their shops. The money they pay to the government for occupying road space is very low. We hope that this rule will also encourage shopping malls and business houses to build their own parking lots,” Karki said.