Almaty has proposed setting uniform rates for the towing and storage of impounded vehicles. The draft decision has been submitted for consideration to deputies of the city maslikhat, according to infohub.kz.
The measure applies exclusively to vehicles that have been impounded and taken to municipal special parking lots in cases stipulated by the Code of Administrative Offenses.
"It is important to understand that this does not cover all cases of vehicle towing. The proposed procedure applies only when a vehicle is impounded and taken to a special parking lot in accordance with administrative offenses legislation," said Yerzhan Dikhanbayev.
A similar approach is already enshrined in Almaty's traffic management rules, under which towing is defined as the forced relocation of a vehicle impounded under the Code of Administrative Offenses to a special site or parking lot.
"The draft proposes a flat towing fee of 3 MCI regardless of vehicle category. This approach will make the calculation procedure uniform and clear for car owners. At the same time, a separate procedure is envisaged for temporary vehicle storage, allowing owners to avoid or reduce additional costs," the statement said.
Earlier, on July 30, the Almaty city maslikhat approved traffic management rules covering matters not regulated by road traffic rules, setting out the procedure for delivering and storing vehicles impounded for administrative offenses.
It was noted that if an owner retrieves a vehicle from the special parking lot before 18:00 on the day of towing, no storage fee is charged. Thus, by collecting the vehicle promptly, the owner pays only for towing.
"If the vehicle remains at the special parking lot after 18:00, the storage cost is calculated depending on the vehicle category. For the first day, the draft already provides for a reduced rate compared with subsequent days of storage. For passenger cars, a fee of 2.5 MCI is proposed for the first day and 5 MCI for each subsequent day. For other vehicle categories, the fee is also differentiated according to their type and characteristics," the akimat added.
The draft has reportedly gone through the review procedures required by law and received the necessary positive conclusions.
We previously reported that a new tariff system taking into account traffic load is being proposed for Almaty's municipal parking lots.