Debate in Bolu over parking fees via HGS

Making a statement after CHP council member Okay Özcan brought the issue to the agenda during the first session of the Bolu Municipal Council in November, Mayor Tanju Özcan stated that the open-air parking lots were leased by the Bolu Municipality to Boluspor for 10 years in 2007, and then again for another 10 years during the Alaaddin Yılmaz administration.

Özcan stated that Boluspor has occasionally transferred the operation of these parking lots to sub-tenants and sometimes operated them with its own personnel, adding, "It has been leased to a sub-tenant again."

Emphasizing that there are precedent court rulings stating that fines related to open-air parking fees have been canceled, Özcan expressed that the HGS system collects fees without the citizen's consent despite this. "When I first heard that collections were being made via HGS, I was surprised and said, 'This cannot be. What does this have to do with HGS?'" he said.

Providing details regarding the HGS application initiated by Boluspor's sub-tenant, Özcan said, "We leased these parking lots to Boluspor for, say, 50 TL. Boluspor then transferred this to a sub-contractor for 80 TL. The sub-contractor firm reached an agreement with the General Directorate of Highways, obtained authorization from HGS, and is now collecting fees via commission by sending the license plates of parked vehicles to the HGS system. I learned that there are examples of this practice in other provinces. However, there is an unfair situation here. The firm used to earn 100 TL and give 80 TL of it to Boluspor; now, with the new application, it will earn 1000 TL, but Boluspor will continue to receive only 80 TL. This does not sit right with me."

Reminding that there is a court ruling stating that fees cannot be collected without the citizen's consent, Özcan said, "Now, whether there is consent or not, the money is being withdrawn directly. I will take a hand in this matter on Monday."

Criticizing the General Directorate of Highways, to which HGS is affiliated, Özcan said, "The Highways department gave the permission, and HGS is also affiliated with the Highways department. For the Highways, this is revenue because they take a commission from every parking transaction. However, as the General Directorate of Highways, they should not be involved in collecting fees in parking lots within the city that are under the municipality's jurisdiction. In that case, let us also demand money from every vehicle passing through the D-100 highway and collect city transit fees via HGS. We need to find a solution to this issue."

News Source: İHA