Authorities set to charge for car parking

The cabinet yesterday approved a draft law on car parking management that would allow local administrative organisations to collect fees for parking on public roads, except in certain prohibited areas, government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday.

The decentralisation law in 1999 allowed tambon administrative organisations, municipalities and Pattaya City to regulate markets, piers and car parking spaces within their jurisdictions. However, the law on car parking in municipalities issued in 1960 was not amended accordingly, Lt Gen Sansern said.

The draft law that will also allow the local administrative organisations to make use of the additional income for local development, he added.

According to the draft, local administrative organisations can set regulations regarding parking for various categories of vehicles and the conditions for fees, fines and collection. They are also allowed to delegate implementation of these measures to private sector companies.

The fees and fines can be included in the budget of the local administrative organisations.

In a separate development, Lt Gen Sansern said, the cabinet also approved the principles of a draft law on polluted water management, and transfer the Wastewater Management Authority, now under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, to the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry, so that wastewater and tap water are now under the same ministry.

Lt Gen Sansern said local administrative organisations can work more efficiently with cooperation from the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority and the Provincial Waterworks Authority.