KUCHING: It is claimed that paying over-parking notices is a hard thing to do even in this day and age.
A motorist, Charles H J Bong, complained of not enough booths or counters for motorists to pay their ‘fine’.
This is compounded by the fact that the existing booths are far from most parking lots in the city.
“After having a dental check at Timberland Medical Centre the other day, I received an over-parking notice for parking more than half an hour.
“I asked a worker at one of the clinics who told me that one exists just on the opposite side of the busy road which is 3-5 minute driving provided there is no jam, just to pay 53 sen,” he said in a press statement.
Another time, he said he received a similar notice after having parked for almost an hour near a bank in Simpang Tiga.
Even though there is a parking booth nearby, the problem was where to temporarily park his car while he paid the over-parking notice.
Bong believed the two scenarios were common problems faced by many motorists who did not subscribe to the monthly parking system.
“Of course, it is easy to say how long one is likely to park but one can’t dictate the pace of work of counter clerks in a bank or clinics.”
Bong also said he received a compound notice about a year after he allegedly over-parked in Kenyalang Park.
“I checked my diary to see whether I really went to Kenyalang Park at the stipulated date and since it was a working day, the chances of me being there is almost none,” he said.
Not satisfied, Bong went to the city council office to check and they produced a carbon copy of the parking ticket which stated that I have over parked on that certain date.
“Not wanting to cause any commotion, I just paid the compound.
“On my way going down from the office, I met a guy who also received a compound notice for over parking at Kenyalang Park. He was also bewildered like me since he claimed that he lived far from Kenyalang Park and had no business or anything to do with Kenyalang Park,” he related.
“I think the parking ticket payment system needs to be improved with an easier and convenient system. The due date for payment could be increased from the current three working days to 10 working days or even a month,” he suggested.
He also suggested that a kiosk be set up at convenient places which could provide 24-hour service so the tickets could be paid even after office hours.
He also suggested that local councils provide a few non-paying spaces near coupon booths for motorists to temporarily park and pay their tickets.
“With the increasing number of cars on the road and the decision of Padawan Municipal Council to introduce pay parking at commercial centres under its jurisdiction, I hope that we could have a more efficient parking system,” he ended.