Motorists in Nairobi will soon start paying more for parking fees in a new proposed policy by City Hall.
The policy seeks to do away with the Sh200 flat-rate parking fee currently charged by the county government, a measure aimed at increasing revenue collection and restoring order in parking.
Parking on off-street south of Kenyatta Avenue and west of Moi Avenue will cost a motorist between Sh75 and Sh90 for per hour.
“The move is aimed at fully regulating all parking in the city centre where there is a high level of competition for spaces,” states the policy document.
Those seeking to park on off-street spaces will have to part with Sh100 hourly while motorists opting for the on-street parking slots will have to pay Sh90 every hour.
Additionally, new hourly rates for parking in hubs, shopping centres and estates away from the city centre are Sh50 per hour and Sh40 per hour.
The draft policy also seeks to scrap the issuance of parking season tickets in the CBD and instead introduce them outside the CBD at Sh6,000 per month.
According to the draft policy, in the regulated areas, the price will reflect the demand.
“In the regulated areas, parking on public spaces has a price. The price is higher, the longer the parking duration,” states the policy.
The areas include Upper Hill, Community, Westlands, Yaya Centre, Eastleigh, Karen, Gigiri, Ngara, and Hurlingham.
Notably, parking hours in the CBD and areas around shopping centres or houses will run from 8am to 8pm whereas all other regulated areas will have to contend with the 8am to 6pm time period.
The policy also seeks to introduce charging points for electric vehicles and designation of loading and unloading bays close to commercial places.
City Hall plans to reduce the number of taxis parked in the CBD by providing taxi ranks.
The idea of hourly rate will prompt motorists to park their cars in the CBD for the whole day owing to the huge costs that will attract and ease traffic congestion.