Property developers should be allowed to charge parking fees as high as the market can bear, because high parking fees will discourage people from driving without a good reason, and reduce fuel consumption and thus oil imports. They would also make owning a car an unnecessary luxury in large cities.

In the coming years, many more metro lines will be built in many major cities in China. And urban planners and authorities should take measures to impose high parking fees to discourage car use and help improve the public transportation system.

Yunzhi Yang, via e-mail

Readers' comments are welcome. Please send your e-mail to opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you.

(China Daily 08/17/2011 page9)