MIRI: There is a need for creative solutions to solve parking woes faced by city dwellers here.
The ever-expanding urban population with increasing number of vehicles on the road often led to shortages of parking bays in the city, which lead to other problems like traffic congestions.
“We could turn some of the spacious green belt alongside some roads into parking bays to accommodate demand, but that means sacrificing some of the green environment,” said Miri mayor Lawrence Lai during a walkabout in Krokop with Miri City Council (MCC) engineer Chia Guang Fatt and the media recently.
Then there is also the need to trim the huge trees to reduce the chances of branches falling onto cars causing damage.
“We could also impose parking fees in some areas that are currently free to park, to discourage people from parking all day long and depriving others of places to park,” said Lai who understood the pressing need for more parking bays in the city.
In some areas, there are companies employing many workers who compete with other motorists for parking bays, and the problem is compounded by the lack of good and affordable public transportation in the city.
“The indiscriminate parking of cars also causes traffic congestion in the city as motorists slowed down or waited to find parking spaces.
“Roads become narrow and slow down traffic when vehicles are parked illegally,” he noted.
Another problem was that some inconsiderate motorists will also park on top of pedestrian pavements.
“If the authorities were to crack down on indiscriminate and illegal parking, some people will complain that we are heartless.
“We hope motorists will be more civic-minded and not simply park anywhere they like,” he added.
As more and more cars jostled with each other to find parking space, the MCC need to find creative solutions to accommodate increasing demand for parking lots in the city.