Yee says a new carpark built on the land beside the Jinjang MRT station will be able to cater to dozens of cars. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
A CARPARK should be built on land alongside the Jinjang MRT station, community activist Yee Poh Ping suggested.
He said the existing park-and-ride facilities next to the station in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, was inadequate to meet the demand.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) and the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) should provide a solution to the parking woes, he said.
“The three parking lots at the station fill up early in the morning as people park there to take the MRT to work.
“This forces a lot of commuters to park at the pick-up and drop-off points, even at the parking spots reserved for people with disabilities,” he said during a press conference at the area.
He said while the government promoted the usage of public transport, it needed to ensure enough park-and-ride facilities for users’ convenience.
Previously, Yee had also raised his concerns about hoarding structures and canvas being stacked up on that land over the Chinese New Year holidays.
A letter by APAD sent to Yee last March 11 stated that the agency did not object to MRT Corp’s decision to rent the government land (Lot 55080), located in a railway protection zone, to a private company.
Every development project that falls under a railway protection zone requires APAD’s approval, as prescribed in the Railways (Railway Protection Zone) Regulations 1998.
A temporary showroom for used cars, two office cabins and a toilet would be built on the land, according to another letter by APAD sent to the private company last Jan 27.
Yee questioned the decision, saying that a new carpark would be able to solve the parking issue there as well as the surrounding residential areas, as motorists have taken to parking there before going to the station.
“Using the land for commercial purposes would also create a series of environmental issues, especially if the structure doesn’t have good sanitary facilities and drainage system.
He said MRT Corp and APAD should have considered the factors before approving the used car showroom project.
Yee also urged DBKL to carefully evaluate all development permit applications for government land.
When contacted, APAD said it had issued a no-objection letter to MRT Corp’s decision to rent the land to the private company after it found that the proposed development would not jeopardise the safety of the existing train structure and operations.
“However, any construction on the land would require DBKL’s approval,” it added.
On the park-and-ride facilities, APAD said there were 239 parking lots at the Jinjang MRT station.
“There are also 212 parking lots at the Metro Prima MRT station, which is about 1km away from the Jinjang MRT station, that can be used by MRT users.
“APAD constantly reminds MRT Corp to monitor the usage level of existing parking lots and provides recommendations for new and suitable locations to be turned into parking bays based on local needs,” it said.
MRT Corp and DBKL had not responded to queries at press time.
