Don’t fine us, plead residents
26/04/2006 The Star By Tan Sin Chow

SOME 20,000 residents of Gat Lebuh Macallum in Penang who face parking problems are pleading for leniency from the police not to issue them summonses for parking on non-designated areas.

The appeal comes after traffic police issued 16 summonses starting from Friday to residents for causing traffic obstruction along Phase Two of the Jelutong Ex-pressway (JE).

Many residents were furious with the summonses, saying they had no choice but to park their vehicles there as they were not given alternative parking space when JE opened.

A resident, Chan Shau Kang, 24, said he was slapped with two summonses in a day for parking his vehicle along JE.

“My car did not endanger pe- destrians or obstruct traffic,” he claimed.

Desmond Ooi, 50, who is on the management committee of Block 1 and Block 2 U-shaped Penang Deve-lopment Corporation (PDC) flats, said the existing 100 parking lots in the area were not enough to cater for some 300 cars.

He said before the opening of Phase Two of JE, there used to be 100 parking lots available for the residents on both sides of the JE.

“But since our parking space had to make way for development, the authorities should at least get us alternative parking lots.”

Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Lee Hack Teik said residents had written to Penang Municipal Coun-cil, Public Works Department and IJM Construction Sdn Bhd for a dialogue but to no avail.

“The police should view the residents’ predicament in a proper context.

“At the same time, the autho-rities should take the matter seriously and provide an alternative parking area.”

Lee also appealed for a pedes-trian crossing at the Gat Lebuh Cecil-JE traffic lights junction.