CITY HALL officers are keeping an eye on the common areas around some shophouses in the State Capital, as well as a neighbourhood in the Lido area, to deter motorcyclists and motorists from parking on the five-footways and verges there.
A spokesman for the agency’s Enforcement Department said regular inspections had been made of roads around Kg Air and Taman Cantek over the past few weeks.
Five motorcyclists were taken to task recently for leaving their bikes on a pavement off Jalan Haji Yaakub in the former area, according to him, while a driver was upbraided for doing the same along the drain reserve off Lorong Bunga Dahlia 6 at the latter.
“Vehicle-owners can be deemed to have parked illegally, if there is no demarcation painted on either side of the road surface occupied by their vehicles,” he said. “This is regardless of whether or not they obstruct the flow of traffic in the area.”
Under City Hall’s (Provision of Parking Places) (Coupon Parking) By-laws 2014, those who leave their vehicles in undesignated parking spaces could be liable to a compound of up to RM500, according to him.
He said repeat offenders and those who failed to settle their compounds could be taken to court.
He said these individuals risked being slapped with a RM20,000 fine, having to serve a 12-month jail term or both, if they were found guilty.
On top Jalan Haji Yaakub, the other roads in Kg Air which were intermittently checked included Jalan Laiman Diki, Jalan Kg Air 1, Jalan Kg Air 2, Jalan Sentosa, Jalan Tugu and Jalan Pasar Baru.
“Seven Enforcement personnel went down to this part of the City and Taman Cantek at various times of the day and night.
“They will continue to monitor the goings-on at both locations, from time to time. These staff are authorised to penalise inconsiderate vehicle-owners. We hope in this way to minimise the inconvenience created by their actions.”
The spokesman was responding to feedback about the pedestrian and traffic hazards posed by the incidence of illegal parking in these places.
SOO, the proprietor of a shop in the Kg Air area, said the added weight of the motorcycles, as they were driven onto and off a pavement there, had caused holes to form in the concrete.
“Many of those working here leave their bikes on the five-foot way on Jalan Haji Yaakub during the day,” he said. “Motorcyclists living in the units above the shops do likewise after dark.”
He said some of these individuals had even taken to repairing their vehicles in this common area.
Besides damaging public property, Soo said their actions also put pedestrians who used the walkway at risk.
“Many tourists can be seen going on foot around Kg Air. Thankfully, none of these visitors have been run down, or hurt themselves by walking into the exposed sections of the walkway, so far.”
Meanwhile, a Taman Cantek homeowner, one DAISY, said the vehicles left on the road-shoulder along Lorong Bunga Dahlia 6 made it difficult for her and her neighbours to drive in and out of their compounds.
“These drivers cannot find parking around the two blocks of shophouses nearby, so they park outside our homes,” she said. “Their inconsiderate actions have also contributed to congestion in the area as their vehicles sometimes encroach into one of the two lanes on our housing road.
Daisy said pedestrians, on the other hand, faced the possibility of being run down while crossing the road.
“Those going on foot may not see be able to see the traffic coming from the opposite direction because of automobiles which obstruct their view.”
A spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department said its staff had identified two holes on the affected pavement, off Jalan Haji Yaakub.
“We have covered the exposed sections with sheets of plywood and marked the danger spots with an ‘X’ formed by security tape,” he said.
He said budgetary constraints prevented the agency from repairing the pavement right away.
“If we do not manage to get an allocation to do this in the coming months, then we will have these repairs included in the list of works which we intend to carry out next year.”
The spokesman explained that maintenance was carried out on the pavements within the agency’s rating-area on an ad hoc basis. “This work is carried out when it warrants doing so.”
