THE RIGHT WAY: Business operators should book their parking spaces the proper way.
KUCHING: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) will go down hard on errant traders who continue to defy the law by ‘reserving’ parking lots outside their premises illegally.
Such antics, which have been carried out for years by some irresponsible traders to obstruct motorist from having access to their ‘reserved’ parking lots, have sparked many public complaints.
Mayor James Chan stressed that their enforcement officers would continue to do their rounds and take away the chairs or any other objects used to reserve the parking lots illegally.
When asked if the traders would be fined for their irresponsible conduct, he clarified that the council could not enforce the rule if the culprits were not caught.
He explained further that business owners would have to be given the benefit of the doubt as the ‘reserved’ parking in front of their premises might be the deed of others.
However, he pleaded with the errant business owners to stop such antics.
“Cannot! These traders can’t reserve these parking spaces as they wish. Even so, some will still resort to putting it (chairs blocking access to the parking spaces) there,” he said recently when commenting on the illegal booking of parking spaces in front of business premises.
Adding that such cases were not serious in the MBKS jurisdiction, Chan advised owners of business premises to rent the parking spaces from the council.
Though some have resorted to renting the parking spaces legally, it is the illegal act by others that has made the situation in the city unpleasant to the public, he commented.
Meanwhile, a business owner by the name of Jong (last name withheld) who operates an auto accessories shop in Satok, hoped that the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) would revise its monthly parking rent as it was deemed expensive.
Jong whose shop is situated in the DBKU jurisdiction, said that he had to fork out about RM240 per month to pay the Kuching City North Commission for his rented parking lot.
He said that the rate was quite high considering the nature of his business.
Also speaking on behalf of a few nearby business owners who also rented parking spaces, he said: “We do not mind paying the rent but we hope that the council would lower the rate. Considering the nature of our business, it is not everyday that we have customers walking in.”
The group then pleaded for the commission to take action against irresponsible traders, as it was not fair to those who had rented parking spaces lawfully.