According to February data from the Statistics and Census Service, Macau had a total of 253,073 registered motor vehicles, of which 120,172 were light vehicles and 126,119 were motorcycles.
Currently, there are 68 public car parks in Macau, offering 27,765 spaces for light vehicles and 19,473 for motorcycles. Even when adding approximately 40,000 on-street parking spaces for both vehicle types, the total number of public parking spots still falls well short of the number of registered vehicles, revealing a structural demand for public parking. However, the actual usage rate of many public car parks is surprisingly low, especially in the case of motorcycle spaces. Of the 54 public car parks with motorcycle spaces, 41 (more than 70%) have an occupancy rate below 50%, and 13 have rates under 10%. This situation represents a serious waste of public resources and creates a paradox: “empty spaces with no vehicles, and vehicles with no spaces” — a reality that demands urgent attention and improvement.
According to the “Conditions for the operation and use of public parking services”, parking fees may be charged by the minute, by the hour, or monthly. In practice, however, almost all public car parks charge by the hour, meaning that even staying a minute beyond the hour results in having to pay for a full additional hour. This practice raises questions about the fairness and reasonableness of the current model. Recently, authorities introduced half-hour billing units for the first time at the newly inaugurated Mong Son Building car park. Although late, this change represents a positive step. It is recommended that this measure be extended to all public car parks in various districts across Macau.
Regarding the persistently low occupancy rates of motorcycle spaces in public car parks, there have been repeated calls and proposals urging the Macau SAR Government to address the issue. The Administration has responded that lowering vehicle usage costs would go against efforts to regulate the use of private transport and contradict the objective of prioritizing public transport. However, the lack of an effective response to the underuse of public car parks results in a “quadruple loss”: continued waste of public resources, reduced public revenue, constant obstruction of public roads, and ongoing illegal parking — problems that remain unresolved.
Thus, the Administration is urged to adopt proactive measures, including offering additional incentives or reducing fees to encourage motorcyclists to use public car parks. At the same time, it is recommended to establish a monthly pass system that allows motorcycles to park in different car parks, thereby improving their overall usage rate.
People’s Alliance of Macau
