Council gets tough on OKU offenders

Ng (left) and Lee showing a sample of the OKU parking sticker issued by the council at one of the OKU parking lots at Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, Penang.

ONLY those with disabled car stickers issued by the local councils and government departments will be allowed to park at any of the 53 OKU parking lots on the island.

Councillor Chris Lee Chun Kit said those without a valid sticker should display their OKU identity cards on their car’s dashboard.

He said those who failed to do so would have to pay a RM100 fine from next month.

“The OKU stickers are issued by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) or by the local councils.

“There are fake stickers being sold in the market but our enforcement team have been trained to spot them,” he said during a press conference in Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah yesterday.

Lee said the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has issued 689 OKU stickers thus far, including 152 to the disabled drivers and 537 to their guardians.

“The ratio of the OKU parking spaces is only 7.69%, but it would drop further because of abuse.

“A total of 51 compounds have been issued from January until April this year.

“It is necessary to be strict to send out a clear message to the public not to abuse the lots for the disabled.

“I also hope that all shopping complexes and private establishments would self-regulate and self-enforce the parking spaces for OKU as it is outside our jurisdiction,” he said.

Lee also urged the guardians of OKU to park at the normal car park when they are not driving the OKU as to give way to others who need it.

Also present was MBPP Financial Management Committee alternate chairman Joseph Ng.