Searching for street parking in heavily-trafficked areas is akin to somewhat of a hobby here in Kuala Lumpur, and if you – like us – like to do several rounds before you give up and pay a much higher per hour rate in a garage, you may have noticed a spike in business rented bays.
Painted in red, occupied by a cone, cinder block, or a packet of tissues (we kid – that sort of malarkey only happens in Singapore), drivers tend avoid them even when we suspect that the legitimacy of the space might not actually check out with the local council.
Well, drivers – listen up: Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), whose jurisdiction includes the madness that is Uptown Damansara, is cracking down on business operators with rented spaces, and letting it be known that their spot must be left open to the public after 6:30pm. City council has also stated that the vehicle ramps placed outside car workshops must also be removed.
Speaking to the Metro News section of The Star, MBPJ Treasury assistant accountant Zay Iskandar told the local daily that after visiting no less that 15 shop lots throughout SS21 Damansara Uptown, owners were informed that their ramps must be removable, and that rental hours were only Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6:30pm. Booyah.
“The parking bays must be vacated for public use after 6.30pm,” said Zay. Apparently, it is very common for shop owners to violate the rules, including painting faking red private parking lines, as well as years of unpaid rental fees to MBPJ. Rent ranges from RM400 (US$100) a month for eateries and shops, and RM200 (US$50) for car workshops.
City council is sparing no prisoners in how far they will now go to collect revenue from the overdue rent on bays: Shops may have their business licenses revoked if warnings are not heeded.
Members of the public often complain about the lack of city council parking in popular areas, and Zay maintains that part of this is due to illegal business parking practices.
Earlier this year, Kuala Lumpur City Council issued a similar warning to business owners, reminding them that rented spaces are only theirs from 7:30am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and that permanent blocks of the spaces were not allowed.
There you have it drivers, after 6:30 in PJ – it’s yours for the taking, and if those red lines look a shade off, they might just be fake, and you can report the suspected offense to MBPJ.
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