Can't Park Under 5-Day Vehicle Rotation, but Fees Stay the Same? ... Rights Commission Recommends Season Pass Fee Adjustments

Recommended to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and local governments
No discounts despite fewer days of use for season parking pass holders

A recommendation has been made to reasonably adjust the fees or validity periods of season parking passes when access to public parking lots is restricted, such as under a five-day vehicle rotation system.

A vehicle arrives at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, during the morning commute. Photo by Cho Yongjun.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said on Oct. 29 that it had drawn up a plan to protect the rights and interests of season parking pass holders when vehicle rotation systems are applied at public parking lots and recommended it to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and local governments nationwide.

Vehicle rotation systems at public parking lots restrict vehicles from entering on certain days of the week based on the last digit of their license plate, for public-interest purposes such as responding to resource security crises and reducing air pollution.

Under the current system, holders of season parking passes issued before a vehicle rotation system takes effect can use the parking lot without restrictions until their passes expire. However, users who apply for or renew a pass after the system is already in place may receive no fee reductions or extensions, even though the number of days they can actually use the parking lot may decrease.

According to a survey by the commission, in most areas, except for some local governments, users can apply for season parking passes only if they agree to entry restrictions. In addition, local ordinances lack explicit provisions linking adjustments to pass fees or validity periods with restrictions on vehicle access imposed under public policies.

In response, the commission proposed improvements. It recommended that the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment revise the "Regulations on the Promotion of the Rationalization of Energy Use by Public Institutions" to review and adopt reasonable operating standards when access restrictions at public parking lots are prolonged. It also recommended that local governments revise parking-related ordinances or the regulations governing parking lot operators to establish a basis for adjusting fees or validity periods on a tiered basis when access to parking lots is restricted under measures such as a five-day vehicle rotation system.

Oh Jeongtaek, director general of the Commission's Policy Bureau for Improving Rights and Interests, said, "This system improvement has laid the groundwork for reducing the burden on season parking pass holders caused by restrictions on parking lot access under public policies. We will continue to identify inconveniences so that people's rights and interests can also be protected in similar situations in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.