This photo shows a short-term tenancy car park located at Fo Shing Road, Pak Shek Kok, Tai Po in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Hong Kong residents said the first increase to charges for parking at public parking lots in four years is generally acceptable, but called for more parking slots and charging stations, as well as smarter service to provide more convenience to drivers.

Ten of the government’s multistory public parking lots increased their charges from Tuesday, with the monthly rate for private cars and vans going up by HK $150 ($19.25). Following the adjustments, the quarterly charges for parking private cars and vans range from HK$6,150 to HK$13,650.

These fare changes apply to 10 government-owned car parks at Kennedy Town, Rumsey Street, Star Ferry, City Hall, Tin Hau, Shau Kei Wan, Aberdeen, Sheung Fung Street, Kwai Fong and Tsuen Wan.

The monthly parking fee for a reserved parking space at Star Ferry Car Park remains unchanged.

The Transport Department announced the increase on July 6, after taking into consideration charges levied at private car parks, the level of public acceptance, and the utilization rate of government car parks. The last increase to parking fees at government car parks was implemented on June 1, 2019.

Private car owner Derek Tsang noted that the fare increase is reasonable but still contrary to public expectations, as drivers face multiple cost increases, including sharp hikes in parking fees at private parking lots, a continuous rise in the cost of auto fuel, and increased tolls at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Tunnel

Chan Yuen-tung, a private car driver who frequently commutes to work, said that the increase is acceptable, as the average fee is still much cheaper than private parking lots.

After the increase, the parking fee at City Hall, in Central, is still only HK$24 per hour by day. In contrast, private parking lots in Causeway Bay and Admiralty charge as much as HK$42 per hour, Chan said.

She also expressed disappointment over the small size of many government-owned parking lots.

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Sze Hiu-sing, another private car owner, said he would accept the price adjustment of government parking lots in business areas. He objected to raising prices at parking lots near public housing estates.

Many residents need to drive to work, and an increase in parking fees in residential areas would increase the cost of living for them, Sze said.

Private car owner Derek Tsang noted that the fare increase is reasonable but still contrary to public expectations, as drivers face multiple cost increases, including sharp hikes in parking fees at private parking lots, a continuous rise in the cost of auto fuel, and increased tolls at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Tunnel.

Jacky Ko Chung-kit, a Hong Kong resident who drives only occasionally, believes that most people in Hong Kong who drive regularly enjoy relatively good economic conditions and can accept reasonable increases in parking fees.

He suggests that the government provide more car charging stations in public parking lots and develop an app to make more electronic payment methods available.

About 4,000 parking spaces for private cars and 650 parking spaces for motorcycles are provided at the 10 government multistory public car parks, which have been managed by Transport Department contractors since 1984.

READ MORE: 10 HK public parking lots increase rent from Aug 1

In addition, there are about 690,000 parking spaces in the territory, of which 195,000 are for public use and 495,000 are designated for private use in commercial, residential and industrial premises, according to the Transport Department.