The parking spaces at Shenzhen Library are suspected of being occupied by the cars of office workers employed in the Futian CBD area, as the parking fee is much lower there than in commercial parking lots.
Residents complained recently that they couldn’t find a parking space when they went to the library to borrow or return books.
An investigation by the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily showed that the parking spaces were fully occupied before 8:45 a.m., 15 minutes before the library opens.
At around 8:30 a.m., a dozen cars were lined up to enter the underground parking facility.
“At around 8:40 a.m., there will be no parking spaces, and those like me who come late will have to wait in line for a chance to enter,” a man surnamed Ma, who works at a nearby finance company, told the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.
Shenzhen Library, a public cultural facility, charges a standard fee of five yuan (US$0.77) as the starting price and an additional one yuan for each additional hour.
Compared with nearby parking lots, which charge 15 yuan for the first hour and an additional five yuan for each additional hour, the fee is rather cheap, although the commercial parking lots set a ceiling of 60 yuan a day.
At the parking lot at Shenzhen Concert Hall, the fee is a little bit higher. The fee is five yuan every hour for the first three hours, and increases by one yuan every 30 minutes after the fourth hour.
Research showed that Shenzhen Library’s parking fee is the cheapest in the neighborhood.
Shenzhen Library suggested readers use public transportation since the present situation can’t be solved.