Besides a normal parking fine, Beijing drivers will pay no more extra "towing fee" for their illegally-parked cars from March 1, a source with the local traffic control bureau announced Sunday.

According to the current national regulation on road transportation released in 1988, if drivers parked their cars in unauthorized parking spaces, the police could only impose a fine of five yuan (0.6 US dollars) or suspend their driving licenses for one month.

In order to reduce the traffic jams, many cities like Beijing publicized local documents regulating that drivers should pay an extra "towing fee" of about 200 yuan (some 24 US dollars) for their illegally-parked cars, which usually would be towed by the police.

But the police often tow illegally-parked cars without warning or neglect to inform the car owners after towing their cars away. The extra "towing fee" sparked extensive complaints among drivers in large cities like Beijing, who say they are driven to the random parking by a serious lack of parking lots.

According to China's first law on road transportation safety, which will take effect on May 1, 2004, this kind of extra "towing fee" should be canceled and if drivers park in the unauthorized places, the police should ask them to leave instead of giving an immediate fine.

But if the drivers refused to leave, they would be fined from 20 to 200 yuan (2.4 to 24 US dollars), and their cars would be towed by the police, the official warned.

Beijing now has more than two million vehicles, and the number is set to soar. Serious traffic jams and lack of parking lots have become the problems affecting local residents.

Beijing plans to build huge free or low-cost parking lots beyond the fourth and fifth ring roads. Car owners living in the suburbs will be encouraged to park their cars outside the fourth and fifth ring roads and take buses or subways downtown. Low or nonexistent parking fees in these areas would help ease growing parking demands in urban areas.

(Xinhua News  Agency  March 2, 2004)