Tents put up at parking bays like this one in Jalan Sepadu off Taman United Garden, Kuala Lumpur, rob motorists of much needed parking space. — ART CHEN/The Star
FED up with shopowners booking public parking bays in front of their premises, motorists and residents living near commercial areas want Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to get tough on offenders.
Among their suggestions are to instal closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) at strategic locations to catch culprits in the act.
ALSO READ: Bring space hoggers to book
Residents in Taman United, Taman Gembira, Taman United Garden and Jalan Kuchai Lama said they wanted offenders punished.
“I have had enough of their selfish attitude.
“Something radical needs to be done,’’ said Ann Lee, a resident of Taman Cheras.
Those living in Taman United claim that the Jalan Sepadu main road is probably the most congested in the city.
As such, they said the road was not suitable for reservation of parking bays, even if legal.
“This location is not conducive for long-term parking,” said K. Regunathan, a retired teacher living in the area.
Flashback to StarMetro’s front page on Jan 16.
“If DBKL says they cannot prove who is doing it, use CCTV to find out,’’ he added.
Sean Oon, another resident living in the area, said DBKL officers came regularly and issued summonses to those who didn’t pay for parking.
“But somehow, they don’t ‘see’ a certain shop putting broken down motorcycles to reserve the parking space.
“They don’t ‘see’ stalls taking up bays selling their wares.
“I hope DBKL’s management can explain this selective blindness,’’ Oon said.
Another resident, OJ Tee, said he had wanted to remove obstructions placed there in order to park but it was almost impossible.
“Because the road is so busy, it is very difficult to stop the car to remove them,” he said.
Resident B. Lawrence, who lives at Jalan Sepakat 8, said that roadside stalls were also operating on the five-foot way.
“Space meant for the public to walk is taken up by stalls.
“DBKL should come to Jalan Sepadu and see the situation created by irresponsible traders,’’ he said.
DBKL had issued 33 temporary permits to traders to sell Chinese New Year festive items until Feb 5. However, residents claim that some of the areas identified are not suitable as they disrupt traffic flow and take up much needed parking space.
Checks by StarMetro in Cheras, Jalan Kelang Lama, Taman OUG and Kepong saw many shops hogging up to four parking spaces in front of their premises.
In some areas, roadside stalls were taking up space too and causing congestion.
When contacted, a DBKL officer from the licensing department said that only a limited number of shops were given temporary permits to operate outside their premises, based on the suitability of the locations.
He promised to look into residents’ complaints.
On Jan 16, StarMetro had on its front page report “Bring space hoggers to book” highlighted the prevalence of the issue in the Klang Valley.
It also quoted KL residents urging DBKL to adopt policies similar to the ones in Johor Baru, where those caught obstructing parking spaces around the city would be issued an immediate RM500 fine.
