1. How Did Parked Cars Change the Roads?
In the past, when there were very few cars, parking on the side of the road might not have caused many problems. However, starting around the 1950s, cars began to gather in the centers of cities. [1]
Documents from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism list one major cause of road congestion: cars were parked disorderly on the street, blocking the path of other vehicles. [1]
When a moving car slows down slightly, or if a parked car blocks a lane, the cars behind it must slow down or move to another lane. [1]
Moreover, in large cities, there were simply not enough places to park cars at all. This created a bad cycle: because there were no parking spots, people parked on the street; because they parked on the street, the roads became jammed. [1]
To deal with this situation, the government created the Parking Lot Act in 1957. [1]
Did this law simply ban parking on the side of the road? Or did it try to clear the roads in a different way?
2. What Is the Purpose of the Parking Lot Act?
The Parking Lot Act was established in May 1957. [2]
Article 1 of the law states its purpose: to establish necessary rules for building parking facilities, to help road traffic run smoothly, to serve public convenience, and to help maintain and improve the functions of cities. [2]
This means that building parking lots is not the final goal itself. Instead, it is a method used to help traffic flow and keep cities working well. [2]
The law divides parking places into two types. A parking spot marked out on the road surface is called an "on-street parking lot." A facility built off the road that the general public can use is called an "off-street parking lot." [2]
Additionally, areas where car traffic is especially crowded can be designated as "Parking Development Districts." In these districts, the government can promote the building of off-street parking lots. [2]
If you provide a place for cars off the road, people have less need to park on the side of the street. So far, this is about the whole town. But what role do individual houses, shops, and buildings play?
3. Why Must Car Owners Provide Their Own Parking Space?
Five years after the Parking Lot Act, on June 1, 1962, a new law was promulgated. It is called the "Act on Securing, Etc. of Motor Vehicle Parking Spaces," often known as the Garage Act. [3][4]
The basic idea of this law is described as: "You must not use the road as a parking space for your car." [4]
To make sure people follow this rule, there is a system called the "Garage Certificate." When you register a car, you must submit a garage certificate. [3]
This system prevents people from using the road as a parking space because they have nowhere else to put their car. [3]
If the Parking Lot Act is a law to "build parking lots for the town," the Garage Act is a law to "make owners provide their own space." [3]
Articles from JAF explain that during the period of rapid economic growth, the number of cars increased suddenly. Living roads became full of cars, and there were worries that ambulances and fire trucks could not pass through. [4]
The article does not show specific numbers for how many incidents happened, so we should understand it as "there were such worries." [4]
The same goal was now being pursued through car owners.
4. What Are the Rules for New Buildings?
The Parking Lot Act also has a system that requires buildings to have parking spaces. This is called the "Attachment Obligation." [2]
In Parking Development Districts or commercial areas, if you build or expand a building over a certain size, you must provide parking facilities according to local rules. [2]
As a general guideline, buildings with a total floor area of 2,000 square meters (about 21,500 square feet) or more are often targeted. [2]
According to review documents from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the obligation sets parking spaces based on the floor area of the building. Each local municipality decides the specific standards while looking at the features of their area. [5]
This means there is not one fixed number of spaces for the whole country. Standards are set by local governments to suit their areas. [5]
Here, we see the idea of "clearing the roads" again. If people who come to shops or offices by car can park inside the building instead of on the street, the roads around them are less likely to get jammed.
However, the same documents point out problems. In areas with good public transport like trains, the required parking standards can be too high. [5]
Also, building too much parking can waste land and floor space. Because of this, there are moves to review the rules and relax the obligations to fit the local area. [5]
Parking is a problem for towns if there is too little, but also if there is too much.
5. Why Are There Parking Meters on the Street?
Off-street parking lots are not always enough for short errands. [7]
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, time-limited parking zones are set up to meet the need for short-time parking. They are designed by thinking about the road conditions and the impact on traffic. [7]
A parking meter is a machine that detects a car and automatically measures how long it has been parked. It encourages cars to leave so the space can be used by someone else. [7]
Trivia websites state that the first paid on-street parking in Japan was set up in 1959 in the Hibiya and Marunouchi areas of Tokyo. [6]
This was two years after the Parking Lot Act was made in 1957. [6]
The police explain that the role of "encouraging turnover" is a system to help people who only want to stop for a short time. [7]
By letting many cars use the same spot one after another, the goal is to reduce the state where cars stay parked on the street and block the road. [7]
6. How Can You Find Parking Places in Your Own Town?
Do not enter the parking lot. Stay on the sidewalk to watch.
Look for a price list at a parking lot near your home. If it says "how much for 30 minutes," you can calculate how much it would be for 1 hour. [7]
It is also recommended to walk around the area near the train station and residential streets to compare the number and types of parking lots. [7]
Count whether buildings have parking lots, or if there are parking spaces marked with white lines on the side of the road. [7]
You might see what each place needs for its town. [7]
If you want to know more, try reading the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism documents or the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department page on time-limited parking zones mentioned in this article. [2][7]
Reading how the law’s purpose and ideas about short-time parking are written in official government language will show you the difference from the words used in this article. [2][7]