Over the past few days, news about the legitimacy of parking meters in Beirut started circling the internet. There are many people talking about it, but not everyone is clarifying the situation.
According to Beirut24, “The park meter company, which forces you to pay for parking, shows that its contract with Beirut Municipality expired in 2010. Expired means that the money deposited into these park meters are being taken by the company that provided the park meters, not by the municipality.”
Beirut24 sources say that the reason parking meters are still in business is due to the pressures of the MP Hadi Hebeish and Hoda Salloum, head of the traffic department. Beirut24 ended up calling all Beirut citizens not to pay their public funds until the judicial system has a chance to look over the documentation.
The Traffic, Vehicles, and Vehicles Management Authority (VMA) confirmed that the money it receives from the parking meter project is collected in favor of the Traffic Management Authority through the parking meter in the presence of a representative from the Authority.
This money is then used to maintain and operate the parking meters and to manage, maintain and operate the traffic control room, traffic lights, surveillance cameras, and electronic signboards, benefiting the municipalities of Greater Beirut.
The VMA pointed out that it has already submitted all the necessary documentation for the new parking meter project to the audit and judicial authorities.
The VMA also asked that the public prosecutor consider the Governor of Beirut’s speech as an enticement to people not to pay their public funds and rebel against the laws and regulations, and take necessary measures against him.
Finally, according to LBCI news bulletin, the revenues, as per contract, should be divided as follows: 80% to the municipalities, 20% to the company, and 20% for maintenance. However, since the end of the contract between the municipality and the company, all the revenues went to the company itself.
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