KOTA KINABALU: Members of the public began queueing from as early as 6am and turned up in the thousands to settle their unpaid compounds and parking arrears at the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) building yesterday, in conjunction with its amnesty programme.
Despite the huge turnout indicating citizens taking responsibility for their unsettled summonses, it begs the question of the efficacy of the parking coupon system, said Sabah Chartered Volunteer Society president Professor Dr Benjamin Yapp.
Benjamin, who is also the association’s head of Bureau of Public Complaints and Services, urged City Hall to review the current parking coupon system which causes trouble, risk and inconvenience to motorists, according to complaints channeled to the bureau.
“We have received many complaints from the public who experienced difficulty in areas where coupons are required. There have been many occasions on which motorists could not get coupons.
“Another complaint we received was the inconvenience of covering the dashboard with parking coupons for those who will be parked for a few hours. Just imagine having to place the parking slips all over the front window screen – it’s outrageous,” he said.
Benjamin added the system also poses a risk for elderly people who would have to rush to replenish coupons to avoid receiving a penalty, especially during rush hour and in harsh weather.
“We urge City Hall to amend the rules and replace the existing coupon system with a friendly and practical public parking concept for the convenience and safety of our KK citizens,” he said.
MCA Luyang assemblyman Datuk Hiew King Cheu said the amnesty exercise for the people to settle their long outstanding parking offence compounds and fees in arrears had helped to resolve the problem of unsettled compounds and parking fees.
Many people had turned up at the DBKK counters to check their outstanding amount and paid the compound for only RM10 each.
He thanked DBKK for giving an extra day for the people who did not manage to settle their compounds on the first day. The public may still come tomorrow (Feb 4) until Feb 7 to pay the compounds at the DBKK counters.
Hiew also expressed his gratitude towards the Puteri and Youth wings of the Kota Kinabalu Umno division who were at DBKK to distribute mineral water to the people queing up to pay compounds.