The Shenyang Public Security Bureau announced that cars parked around residential communities at night will not be ticketed as long as they do not impede other vehicles or pedestrians.

Xu Wenyou, chief of the bureau, said on Monday that drivers could park by the road from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am if the surrounding parking spaces were full.

According to the bureau, the city had 1.3 million registered vehicles as of the end of 2011 but just around 400,000 parking spaces. Authorities estimated that the city needs to double the current number of spaces to meet growing demand.