Coupon parking to be extended to all district councils – Jaujan

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Jaujan (right)

KOTA KINABALU: The Provision of Parking Places (Coupon Parking) By-Laws 2017 which is adopted in Sandakan will be expanded by stages to all district councils in Sabah.

Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Dr Jaujan Sambakong said that this will involve districts that are experiencing growth and development.

“The charges imposed shall be dependent on the local economy, which means that each district shall have their own distinct parking charges,” he said.

He said that among the districts where the by-laws have been implemented are Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan.

He also said that it will be expanded to other districts such as Lahad Datu, Keningau, Semporna and other developed districts in Sabah.

Speaking to reporters at his office in Wisma Innoprise yesterday, Jaujan also said that the Sandakan Municipal Council has carried out several dialogues concerning the implementation of the by-laws and reports obtained showed that 70 percent of the population in Sandakan agreed to its implementation.

He said that the implementation is based on the voice of the majority which has been obtained during studies on the matter.

He also said that the new charges imposed by the Sandakan Municipal Council is cheaper than the previous fee charged by the previous government.

Jaujan also stressed that it was necessary to have such a system in place as it is systematic and encourages members of the public to be disciplined.

“We do not want the parking lots to be monopolised by certain people who park their car for 24 hours or more, or carry out their business operations at the parking lots without contributing anything back to the council,” he said.

He reminded that such contributions were necessary for the growth of the district as it enables the council to provide facilities that are necessary such as better roads.

At the same time, he also stressed that imposing the fee would encourage motorists to allow other users to use the facility and allow visitors of the municipality to find parking spots for their vehicles with ease.

“Otherwise, they will park for hours,” he said.

Jaujan also said that his ministry will look into the parking fee issue in the near future, but stated that the decision was up to the local government concerned.

He also said that the parking charges will be imposed on all 12 satelite towns in Sandakan from 8 am to 5 pm between Monday and Friday.

On Saturday, parking fees are chargeable between 8 am and 1 am.

No charges are imposed on Sundays and during public holidays.

He also mentioned that based on the by-law 2, the council has also prepared monthly parking coupons of RM80.

However, the ministry felt that the fee was a bit steep and suggested to the council for the amount to be reduced to RM60 per month or to a rate that is more reasonable.

“Having more parking facilities will encourage the growth of businesses of these satelite towns,” he said.