HÀ NỘI — Households in the capital’s Old Quarters can enjoy preferential tax rates if they offer motorbike parking services in their premises, Hà Nội Mayor Nguyễn Đức Chung has said.

The lack of parking space in the Old Quarters has been a pressing issue for more than a decade. This area of the city is full of narrow roads and pavements, particularly so on the streets where many small businesses are based, such as Hàng Bông, Hàng Bột and Hàng Đào.

As a result, people either park their motorbikes on the pavements or have to park at parking lots and walk to the stores.

“The construction of underground parking lots is progressing slowly, and it is not easy to meet citizens’ demands for parking spaces,” Chung said. “The city wants to encourage households with large indoor spaces to offer parking services,” he said at a recent conference on road safety and urban order.

The mayor has asked the city’s finance and tax departments to develop preferential tax policies for households that offer parking services.

“Take Hàng Bột street as an example. Every household on this street can see at least 100 vehicles per day. With the current parking rate, they will make a much higher profit than by lending the space to businesses,” he said.

The plan is to have one home-based parking space every 50-100 metres, the mayor said.

Chung has instructed the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the People’s Committees of Hoàn Kiếm, Ba Đình, Hai Bà Trưng and Đống Đa districts to survey and select households suitable for parking services.

He has also requested vehicles to park as close as possible to the home-based stores so that there is sufficient walking space on the pavements for pedestrians.

District authorities, especially of Hoàn Kiếm District, have been asked to mark out parking spaces in front of the stores with paint, he said. — VNS