'Flying Carpets' Can Help Solve Parking Woes: URA

The Urban Renewal Authority says Hong Kong can ease its parking problems by turning some conventional car parks into automated ones.

The URA, which has conducted a nine-month study on the idea, says the system would work by having drivers park on devices which operate like automated vehicles to move cars into spaces. The devices are nicknamed "flying carpets" and could be used without making structural changes to the car parks.

URA managing director Wai Chi-sing said the change could lead to cheaper parking.

"The payment depends very much on supply and demand," he said. "So if we increase the number of car parking spaces, probably, car park users will pay less."

However, Wai told RTHK's Janice Wong that there were "a lot of issues that had to be dealt with" besides technical requirements. These included insurance and regulatory matters.

On Wednesday the Director of Audit called for changes to on-street parking arrangements, including increasing prices at meters and reducing the time drivers can park for in some popular areas.

The director found that the number of private cars in the city grew by 44 per cent between 2006 and 2018, but the number of parking spaces, on streets and in car parks, grew by just 11.6 per cent.