City Driving: Beijing Needs 2.5 Million More Parking Spaces

If parking on Nanluogu Xiang on a Sunday afternoon is already bad, it may be getting worse. Beijing will need 2.5 million new parking spaces in the next two years if it is to keep pace with car ownership, even with current new, private car purchases restricted to 20,000 per month.

More than 5.3 million cars were trying to find parking spaces on Beijing streets by the end of May 2013, with only about 4.3 million available, based on 2010 estimates, China Daily reported based on a "joint analysis," by whom and whom they did not say.

While most new residential and commercial complexes are constructed with underground parking facilities, capacity is limited, and street parking capacity contributes to traffic congestion in many areas, especially inside Beijing's Second Ring Road.

Look for a list of Beijing's five best parking lots in next week's edition of City Driving.

Photo: blog.offidea.com