Chinese cities short of 50 mln parking spots: report
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The prototype of a stereo garage in Beijing. [File photo: Xinhua]

A report by the Wall Street Journal says that China is facing a shortage of at least 50 million parking spots.

China has the world's largest automotive market with 180 million vehicles on the road.

According to the Wall Street Journal report, Xu Fei, a 24-year-old who works in finance in Beijing, said that he often has trouble finding a space to park his car near his home in the city's Olympic Park area, which has forced him on occasion to park illegally and face potential fines.

The report also finds that a Shanghai residential complex, which was built in 2002, initially was equipped with only 450 parking spots, but 1,500 cars now park there.

China's central authorities have been encouraging local governments and private investors to build more parking spaces.

However, some of these efforts have led to complaints that drivers are now being charged to park in areas that were once free.

"I'm used to parking for free. I would rather drive around for a free parking spot than paying fees," a car owner named Fang Yi told the Wall Street Journal.

At the same time, major Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are also trying to curb car ownership with measures such as vehicle purchase restrictions.

But the number is still growing at a fast pace.

According to official data, China saw a year-on-year increase of 15% of private vehicles last year.

Author： 　　　Source：CRI　　　 Editor：Yang Fan