Kota Kinabalu: Kapayan Assemblyman Chin Tek Ming has called on Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) to introduce a six-month grace period and a public education campaign before resorting to aggressive parking enforcement, including vehicle towing.
“I urge DBKK to consider implementing a six-month grace period before resorting to drastic enforcement actions such as towing vehicles,” Chin said in a statement.
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During this period, he said DBKK should focus on educating the public, increasing awareness of parking regulations, issuing warnings and engaging with local communities to ensure residents and motorists fully understand the rules and expectations.
Chin said he had received numerous complaints from the public over recent enforcement operations by DBKK targeting illegally parked vehicles in various parts of Kota Kinabalu, including Kepayan Ridge Commercial Centre and surrounding residential areas.
While acknowledging DBKK’s responsibility to enforce parking by-laws, he said he was concerned over what he described as the sudden and aggressive nature of the operations, particularly the towing of vehicles and issuance of summonses without sufficient public awareness.
“Law enforcement should always be accompanied by public education. A gradual approach will allow the public to adapt to DBKK’s renewed commitment towards stricter parking enforcement while avoiding unnecessary hardship to ordinary citizens,” he said.
Chin also pointed to a chronic shortage of adequate parking facilities across Kota Kinabalu as a contributing factor, saying motorists in both commercial centres and residential neighbourhoods often faced genuine difficulties finding proper parking spaces.
He urged enforcement officers to exhaust warning notices and summonses before proceeding to vehicle towing, which he said imposed substantial financial burdens on vehicle owners.
He said the current economic climate had worsened the situation, with rising living costs and stagnant incomes already leaving many Sabahan families under financial strain.
“The additional costs associated with vehicle towing, storage fees and penalties can place an unnecessary burden on ordinary citizens who are already facing economic difficulties,” Chin said.
He called on DBKK to adopt what he described as a more humane, reasonable and balanced enforcement approach, and urged the relevant authorities to accelerate efforts to create additional parking spaces in high-density areas.
“The people are not opposed to rules. What they seek is fairness, understanding and reasonable implementation,” he said.
