Villages in the city will soon be allowed to collect fees from residents who park their vehicles on the roadsides.
This was after the City Council approved on third and final reading an ordinance allowing the barangays to designate parking spaces and collect parking fees as revenues.
In a press statement on Tuesday night, City Council information officer Jordan Habbiling said the measure setting general guidelines for the city’s 128 barangays in crafting their roadside parking policies has been transmitted to the office of Mayor Benjamin Magalong and is awaiting his signature before it takes effect.
Based on the ordinance, on-street parking charges will be set from PHP35 to PHP50 for the first three hours during the day parking period from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. plus PHP10 for every succeeding hour per slot; and a flat rate of PHP100 per slot during the overnight parking period from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
It also allows barangays to include, if necessary, weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, or annual collection of parking fees in parking facilities owned or managed by the barangay and for on-street parking.
The ordinance also prohibits the allocation of on-street parking areas to a specific person, stating that it should be enforced on a first-come, first-served basis.
Existing barangay parking ordinances shall continue to be enforced but they will be given one year from the effectivity of the ordinance to amend these for conformity.
The areas to be designated as parking excludes the staging and loading areas designated for public utility vehicles; parking areas in parks or facilities owned or managed by the city or national government; and streets/roads within the central business district (CBD) as delineated by an existing city ordinance.
City Ordinance 1-2003 or the Baguio City Number Coding Scheme Ordinance identifies areas at the CBD for the purpose.
This ordinance was amended in 2020 regulating the use of certain roads/streets within the CBD except when the City Engineering Office – Traffic and Transport Management Division has certified that they will not be designated for roadside parking.
Currently, employees of the city under the Treasurer’s Office are designated to collect parking fees for vehicles that park on roadsides at the CBD.
The city ordinance also prohibits overnight parking for public utility vehicles or any motor vehicle granted with a franchise by the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board in either designated or non-designated areas as they are considered as obstructions.
Source: Philippines News Agency
