ILLEGAL parking took centre stage at a monthly breakfast session with Section 17 residents in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Organised by Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran, the gathering at Jalan 17/34 community park gave residents the opportunity to engage directly with local leaders while enjoying breakfast.
Several residents, during the session, raised the issue of limited parking and the need to issue summonses to vehicles parked illegally on residential roads.
Section 17 resident Tracy Toh said indiscriminate parking occurred at the neighbourhood’s three commercial zones – Seventeen Mall, Jalan 17/8 and Jalan 17/1A, where the pasar tani and pasar malam take place weekly.
She said haphazard parking was obstructing junctions and lanes, putting motorists in danger.
“For many years, residents trying to enter or exit the affected roads have faced near misses with oncoming traffic,” she added.
Another resident agreed with Toh, saying that lane obstruction on Jalan 17/1 during the pasar malam and pasar tani hours resulted in traffic jam and made it difficult for him to get home.
Since Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) enforcement officers could not be present all the time to issue summonses to errant motorists, Toh proposed that the local council accept time-stamped photos taken by residents as proof for enforcement purposes.
She said such digital photos were accepted by another enforcement agency she had sent to.
She proposed that MBPJ adopt this to improve enforcement and revenue collection.
Rajiv said every issue raised would be reviewed individually.
MBPJ councillor Christopher Ong Kean Li, who also attended the session, said temporary bollards had been installed in some areas to deter illegal parking.
For the pasar tani, he requested that organisers hire People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel to manage traffic flow.
“Once the permanent bollards are in place, we hope the issue will be resolved,” he said.
Another concern of residents was tree cutting, with opinion split between removal and preservation.
Ong said MBPJ would take action if trees damaged the road or if the city council received complaints.
The breakfast event also had a “Jualan Ehsan Rahmah” offering groceries at discounted prices.
