“It is so difficult to find a parking bay these days, especially in busy commercial areas and when we find one, the parking meter is faulty.
“We are forced to park because looking for another bay can be tedious since the number of vehicles in the city have increased tremendously,” said 45-year-old businessman Wan Azhar Wan Idris from Petaling Jaya, adding that running out in the rain only to find a coin stuck in the meter was very annoying.
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| This parking meter in Jalan 14/14, Petaling Jaya, has a screen which is not visible. It also could not accept coins because something is stuck in it. |
“What irked me most was when my wife received a compound for parking in a bay where the parking meter was spoilt.
“Shouldn’t the local authority look into this matter, as it is a waste of time going to the local council to sort this out?” Wan Azhar said.
Lee Hun Lee, 50, said parking meters in various areas in Petaling Jaya were rundown and old.
“You can’t even see the instructions on how to use the meter, as it is torn or have been vandalised. The screen is so old that it is faded and some even have scratches on it.
“We are ratepayers and on top of this, we are issued with compounds for parking in a lot where the meter is spoilt. To add to my frustration, the enforcement officers do not give us a chance even if we are five minutes late,” he added.
“Why can’t the council revert to the old coupon system, as it is convenient for motorists?”
“With the increasing number of vehicles on the road, we are sometimes forced to park in a non-parking zone and for this, our vehicles get clamped,” said Lee, urging local authorities to take immediate action on the matter.
S. Subramaniam, who works in an accountancy firm in Kuala Lumpur, echoed similar sentiments.
“In a high-density area like Cheras, finding a parking space can be very frustrating and when you finally find one, it is not in working condition. Sometimes the coin slot is stuck or none of the buttons are working.
“Isn’t it the task of the local authority to look into this, although it has been privatised?
“The employees of these companies should be on their toes to look out for faulty meters,” stressed the 35-year-old from Cheras.
A retired government servant, Wendy Loo has urged the local authority to repair the meters and to take action against vandals.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) corporate planning manager Dr Ismail Stapa said since parking meters have been privatised, four companies have been assigned to four different zones in KL to facilitate the Electronic Car Park System.
“The assigned contractors are supposed to do regular surveys and they are given one to three days to take action on parking meters that are spoilt.
“City Hall will impose a fine of RM35 per parking bay per day on contractors who fail to repair the meter in three days,” said Dr Ismail.
He said City Hall had identified parking meters that are rundown (including the ones with faded screens) since last year and the assigned contractors had been directed to take immediate action.
So far, DBKL had identified eight parking meters with faded screens in the city.
When asked about the measures taken by DBKL, if the problem persisted, Dr Ismail said: “DBKL will not hesitate to impose a cut on parking bay rent, if contractors still fail to look into the problem of meters with faded screens and those with unclear instructions. These meters are considered non-functional, as users are unable to read the meter and make their payment.”
In the above cases, he said motorists could request for cancellation of compounds.
For meters that were knocked down by vehicles, he said the repair work was estimated to complete between one and five days.
Petaling Jaya City Council could not be contacted for comments.
