Dongguan plans to adjust the fee structure for certain parking lots.

On August 5, the Dongguan Municipal Development and Reform Bureau released the “Dongguan Municipal Plan for Optimizing and Adjusting Differentiated Pricing for Motor Vehicle Parking Services (Draft for Public Comment)” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). Going forward, on-street parking fees are expected to be categorized into three tiers—Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3—with progressively decreasing rates. During peak hours (8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.), charges will be assessed in 15-minute increments after the first hour, with a daily cap potentially reaching 70 yuan.

Adjustment Plan: On-street parking will be subject to time-based, zone-specific pricing.

In accordance with relevant regulations, parking facilities that exhibit natural monopoly characteristics and public‑service attributes are subject to government‑guided pricing or government‑set pricing for motor vehicle parking services. This Plan specifically addresses such parking facilities, including, in particular, manually or automatically operated on‑street parking spaces designated in compliance with the law. Six categories of parking facilities subject to government oversight.

The Plan proposes to revise the fee‑charging standards for motor vehicle parking services at various types of parking facilities in our city, including legally designated on‑street parking spaces, non‑profit medical institutions, transportation hubs, and ancillary parking facilities serving public (public‑interest) entities. Notably, the billing system for manually or automatically operated on‑street parking facilities has undergone significant changes: charges will now be tiered not only by road segment but also by time period. For Class I road segments, the first hour… 5 yuan, with a daily maximum cap of 65 or 70 yuan.

Among them, on one type of road segment, parking does not exceed A 15-minute free period is provided, and parking on Class II and Class III road segments is free for up to 30 minutes. Paid‑parking zones and parking spaces are designated in accordance with the law by the local town or subdistrict (or industrial park) people’s government. The classification of road segments into Classes I, II, and III for parking fees is determined by the local town or subdistrict (or industrial park) people’s government, based on principles that promote efficient allocation of parking resources, reduce road‑surface traffic congestion, improve traffic flow, and balance supply and demand. Roads legally designated within the jurisdiction of the village community are applicable to… “Three categories of road segments.” For vehicles parked in front of non‑profit medical institutions, patients, inpatients, and their family members shall be charged 50% of the applicable rate for their respective road segment, upon presentation of the day’s outpatient or inpatient billing receipt, a medical consultation certificate, or other valid documentation.

With regard to parking and other public (public‑interest) ancillary parking facilities at Party and government organs, public institutions, public schools, and government‑built museums, libraries, youth palaces, cultural centers, and similar entities, the Plan also proposes two alternative schemes, with parking capacity not exceeding… 30 minutes free.

The proposed revised pricing for parking services at non-profit medical institutions’ ancillary parking facilities also includes two sets of options, both of which differentiate charges based on the type of user—service‑receiving versus non‑service‑receiving—and by time of day—off‑peak versus peak—as well as by vehicle size—large vehicles versus small vehicles. In addition, tourist attractions, airports, railway stations, ports, and border checkpoints each have two pricing schemes, with a cap on parking durations not exceeding… A 15-minute free period; during holidays (from midnight), the maximum fare may be increased by up to 30%.

Impact of the adjustment: The price revision will provide relief. The Current Situation of “Difficult Parking”

According to statistics from the Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, as of In the first half of 2019, Dongguan’s vehicle ownership exceeded 3.09 million, ranking among the top 10 nationwide and second in the province, behind only Shenzhen. The city has approximately 1.4 million parking spaces, yet a significant supply‑demand gap remains.

According to available information, the current fee standards in our city have been in effect since… Implemented since 2002, the current pricing mechanism is relatively simplistic, relying primarily on time-based charges. However, it fails to adequately reflect the dynamics of parking supply and demand in situations where supply‑demand gaps are substantial and conflicts are acute, leading to overuse of public parking resources and a decline in parking utilization efficiency.

According to an analysis by the Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, in recent years, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Foshan have successively refined and improved their parking fee structures, while Guangzhou also released a draft adjustment plan for public consultation earlier this year. The parking service standards proposed by our city are at an intermediate level.

In terms of mobility, this price adjustment will further help bring the supply-and-demand balance for parking back to a more rational level, ensuring that government‑regulated parking facilities maintain appropriate utilization and turnover rates, while differentiated pricing effectively guides vehicle parking behavior and alleviates… The “difficulty in finding parking” situation.

The Municipal Development and Reform Bureau believes that this fare adjustment will have only a minor impact on residents’ travel costs, although the current proposal shortens the billing duration and… The maximum price caps set for a 24-hour period are higher than the current rates; however, government‑regulated parking facilities account for only a small share of the city’s total parking supply. Moreover, residential neighborhoods and commercial or other ancillary parking facilities are not subject to this scheme, so residents’ travel costs have not increased significantly.