China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #17: Dying for a Spot: China’s car ownership growth is driving a national parking space shortage
Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Dying for a Spot: China’s Car Ownership Growth is Driving a National Parking Space Shortage,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 17 (10 January 2011).
- Major Chinese cities are suffering from a serious shortage of parking space as supporting infrastructure lags rapid car fleet growth. In Luoyang, a man was beaten to death recently in a fight over a parking space.
- China had 79 million cars on its roads in 2009, according to the National Bureau of Statistics and we estimate the number for 2010 is roughly 85.5 million vehicles.
- In eight cities we examined, parking fees likely account for more than 1/3 of the annual costs of owning a car for owners who must pay for parking. Tighter restrictions or higher fees and taxes related to parking could discourage potential car buyers in the next 12 months. … … …