Proof of parking space

Proposals like this crop up every once in a while. This time coming from a Cebu City barangay (Labangon), in the form of a resolution, submitted to the City Council for review. I believe a lot of people will agree with this idea as we see the proliferation of illegally-parked cars along our roadsides and other public spaces nowadays. And this is not just a local problem --hitching parking spaces with car ownership is being debated worldwide. Here in the Philippines, MMDA in Metro Manila has proposed it in the last decade. So did Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian in his Senate Bill No. 201. If the Philippine Senate can’t even pass that law, can a barangay resolution even prosper?

How do we legally compel it? A barangay can’t make it a requirement for buying cars --the car dealers may not even be located within the barangay jurisdiction. Even if the City Council may eventually upgrade it to a city ordinance, this won’t cover car dealers located in neighboring cities. Vehicle ownership per se is not illegal. The only way a requirement may be imposed is if we tie it to vehicle registration. This would require a national law.

If we search the internet, we note that India, Vietnam, and some other countries are tinkering with requiring “proof of parking space” in the purchase of cars. Notably, Japan already did since 1962, one of the first to do it. But what “proof” shall we require? Do we need a specific “land title” to that 2.5m by 5m to be submitted? In the name of the car owner? What happens if he/she transfers residences? Will that “title” be accepted if it’s in another person’s name? What if the buyer submits the proof and then changes the use of the space later? Do we check the proof of parking space annually, say, every time registration is renewed? We can try to consider all other scenarios related to the “proof of parking space” requirement and see how arduous and complicated the compliance and monitoring will be.

How is this done in Japan? They require a "parking space certificate" ("garage certificate" or "shako shomei sho") from the local police. Do we now suggest requiring a “Barangay Clearance” in our case? Some other countries balked at this idea at the threat of inviting corruption in such issues. At any rate, one thing is clear --a national law is needed, a barangay resolution won’t suffice. But bills in Congress have languished for more than eight years already. It seems to me there is an anti-proof of parking space lobby for obvious reasons.

As to the other ordinance “converting vacant and idle lots as parking areas in order to ease traffic and rid the streets of illegal parking,” it won’t! In fact, it will worsen the traffic congestion! More and more countries and cities are discarding “parking minimums” precisely because of that --more parking spaces means worse traffic congestion. That resolution is going in the other direction! The Philippines always seems to be the last to realize what other countries and cities see as progressive in terms of urban development and sustainability.