PETALING JAYA: Cars which have been towed for illegal parking along certain areas on Penang island can be claimed at the new Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) site for towed cars in Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Penang.
The areas are Gurney Drive, Pulau Tikus, Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Bungah, Batu Ferringhi and Teluk Bahang.
MPPP enforcement and public education alternate chairman Dr Tan Kim Hooi said the new site, situated beside the Bagan Jermal fire station, started operations last month.
“The operating hours at the new site are from 8am to 5pm daily.
“Unclaimed vehicles after 5pm will be brought to the MPPP main enforcement office in Jalan Timah for safety reasons,” he told reporters during a press conference at the new site in Jalan Tanjung Tokong yesterday.
Dr Tan said the whole project was expected to cost between RM30,000 and RM50,000.
He added that the council had so far spent RM10,000 to set up a container, which acted as a temporary office, and to install a few street lamps.
“We are planning to fence up the area and set up more street lamps to light up the area. It would take about six months to get all these done,” he said.
Dr Tan added that once work was completed, operation hours would be extended to midnight.
“We will also place reasonably sized stickers on the road containing our contact information, so that motorists can call us and find out where their vehicles have been towed to,” he said, adding that the new site was able to house some 50 cars.
The Jalan Tanjung Tokong site sits on a 0.4ha plot of land belonging to the state government.
Part of the land is used as a parking area for tourist buses and a temporary site for the Hop-On Hop-Off buses after its operating hours.
Dr Tan said vehicles from other areas would still be towed to MPPP’s office in Jalan Timah.
“We are also searching for a suitable plot of land to set up another site in the southwest district to make it easier for people there to collect their towed cars,” he said.
Council enforcement director Shalehudin Hashim, who was also present, said on average of 17 vehicles were towed to the Jalan Timah site while six cars on average were towed to the Jalan Tanjung Tokong site daily.
“In a month, about 700 vehicles are towed over to the Jalan Timah site,” he said, adding that the number of vehicles towed usually increased during festive seasons.
He also said that during any festive season, it was estimated that about 500,000 vehicles were on the road in George Town.
Shalehudin said the council currently had five tow trucks — two operating in the southwest district and three in the northeast district.
