Effective today (18/7/2016), parking charges at Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) owned parking bays within the central business district (CBD) are increasing by 150%.
In areas like Bukit Bintang, Bukit Damansara, Sri Hartamas, Desa Hartamas, Solaris Mont Kiara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Bangsar where 75% to 100% parking spaces are taken up during peak
Hourly parking charges in CBD areas used to 80 sen an hour and now it’s RM2 for the first hour.
The rates have been raised to RM3 for the second hour and RM3 for the subsequent hours.
It does not stop there, new parking charges will be enforce in stages from now to August 1, which will see an increase between 100% and 200%, depending on the locality.
Rates will eventually go up by next month in zones outside the city where the parking charges are currently 50 sen per hour.
In some zones , motorist will be charged RM1.00 or RM1.50 per hour, an increase of 100% and 200% respectively.
Brickfields, Taman Maluri, Cheras, Wangsa Maju and Setapak. The percentage of parking occupancy in these areas are between 55% and 75%.
According to Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz, the move to increase the parking rates was not profit driven but was the only way to ease traffic congestion in the city and encourage people to carpool.
“We want to free up as many street parking spaces in the city and encourage people to take public transport or carpool to the city.
“I know I am going to be very unpopular, but it has to be done because traffic in Kuala Lumpur is already bursting at the seams,’’ Amin Nordin said.