# Section 10. Revitalizing Cities through the Promotion of Comprehensive Measures against Illegal Parking

## (1) Current Situation of Illegal Parking

Illegal parking not only aggravates traffic congestion on trunk roads, it also impedes the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles, interferes with the work of emergency vehicles, damages the living environment of residents, and has a large effect on the lives of people in general.

Furthermore, illegal parking is also a cause of traffic accidents. During 2008 there were 1,556 collisions involving parked vehicles, with 59 people killed in these accidents. Among complaints, requests, and consultations made through “Dial 110” emergency number, 19.6% were related to parking issues, showing the public’s high concern.

## (2) Promotion of Measures against Illegal Parking

## 1 ) Detailed Parking Regulations

In order to establish better parking conditions that adapt to factors such as change in the road environment, traffic conditions, and parking demand, the police are reviewing current regulations. In doing so, the police are considering things both from a time-specific perspective of changes in the flow and volume of traffic depending on the time of day, day of the week, and season, and from a location-specific perspective of the special features in the traffic situation and road structure of each road section.

## 2 ) Regulation of Illegal Parking

The legislation of new illegal parking regulations was enacted on 1 June 2006 to enable Chiefs of Police Stations to outsource the checking work $ ^{1} $ of unattended parked vehicles $ ^{2} $ to corporations designated by Prefectural Public Safety Commissions nationwide.

Crackdowns on illegal parking are conducted in accordance with guidelines based on the opinions and requests of local residents.

Note 1: Defined as an illegally parked vehicle whose driver is away from the vehicle.

2: Tasks related to attaching stickers after confirmation of illegal parking.

Table 3-6 Trends in the Situation of Outsourcing of Checking Work (2006-2008)

Year	2006	2007	2008
Number of Police Stations Outsourcing (stations)	270	310	347
Number of Companies Commissioned (legal persons)	74	73	73
Number of Parking Control Officers (persons)	1,580	1,766	1,966

Table 3-7 Situation of Crackdowns on Illegal Parking (2008)

Number of crackdowns on illegal parking	2,809,657
Order for payment of a fine for illegal parking	2,251,254
Number of illegal parking stickers on unattended parked vehicles	2,759,804
By Parking Control Officers	1,672,606
Number of towed vehicles (vehicles)	36,993

## 3 ) Parking Measures Combining Hard and Soft Methods

Illegal parking is particularly striking in trunk roads, and Prefectural Public Safety Commissions, road administrators, and others are cooperating to promote intensive parking measures that combine hard methods (off-road parking and spaces for freight-handling and others, use of colored pavement to clearly mark areas where parking is prohibited) and soft methods (implementation of detailed parking regulations, crackdown on illegal parking and others) against illegal parking.

## 4 ) Measures for Securing Parking Spaces

In order to stop the use of roads as vehicle parking spaces, the police issue parking space certificates, accept notices concerning parking spaces for mini-vehicles based on the Act on Securing Vehicle Parking Spaces. Additionally, the police are cracking down on such acts called aozora chusha $ ^{1} $ and, shako tobashi $ ^{2} $ .

Note 1: To park on the public road as if it were a parking space.

2: To obtain parking space certificates by giving false information on the parking space and base location for using the vehicle.