GEORGE TOWN: If parking enforcement vehicles give the public the impression that "the fine arrives almost as soon as the car is parked", then they may mean greater efficiency in issuing fines than in serving the people, says Datuk Tan Teik Cheng.
The Penang MCA chairman questioned the Penang Island City Council's one-minute grace period for motorists to pay for parking before its Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) patrol vehicles could issue compounds.
Tan said motorists needed time to park, take out their phones, open the Penang Smart Parking app, allow their location to be detected and complete payment.
"Yet the public is being given only one minute to complete the process.
"Is the government approaching this from the perspective of serving the people, or penalising them?" Tan asked in a statement on Saturday (Aug 8).
The ANPR system in Penang is run by enforcement personnel in cars.
When the system scans a vehicle's licence plate and detects that no parking fee was paid at that time, it automatically issues a compound.
Tan, who is MCA vice-president, said his criticism was not directed at the use of ANPR technology itself.
"There is nothing wrong with technology or ANPR. The real issue is how the technology is being used.
"Technology should make life easier and improve public services, not simply enable the government to issue fines faster and more efficiently," he said.
Tan was responding to council mayor Datuk A. Rajendran's statement that council tests showed one minute was sufficient for motorists to open the parking app and make payment.
Rajendran had said motorists must pay once their vehicles were parked in designated bays, even if they remained inside.
Tan questioned whether the one-minute period took into account motorists facing poor network connections, payment problems or other difficulties using the app.
He said the council should distinguish between motorists deliberately avoiding payment and those who simply needed more time to complete the process.
Tan said technology that reduced enforcement manpower and operating costs should ultimately translate into better public facilities, roads, parking and traffic management.
"The government is not a collection agency. The people want a government that solves problems, not one that simply issues fines," he said.
