‘New parking fees will add to our woes’

SOME 600 shoplot owners in Kepong Entrepreneurs Park are dissatisfied that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will be charging parking fees.

Their area in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, encompasses Jalan Metro Perdana Timur 4 to Jalan Metro Perdana Timur 11.

Local community activist Yee Poh Ping said stakeholders had not been required to pay parking fees in the area in 20 years despite the bays being marked out with yellow paint.

“There had never been enforcement in the area, so the shop owners were under the impression all this while that parking here was free.

“However, on Jan 23, without prior notice, DBKL issued summonses to all vehicles without paid parking fees in the industrial area, resulting in over 10 vehicle owners being fined,” he said during a press conference at an eatery on Jalan Metro Perdana Timur 9.

Yee wrote to DBKL, asking for an explanation and requesting a notice board detailing the hours of operation, hourly fee and method of payment so that the shop owners would be aware of the collection of parking fees.

On Feb 8, DBKL replied to Yee that it had the authority to collect fees for any parking bays it had marked out in accordance with Road Transport (Provision of Parking Places) Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Order 2016.

Collection of parking fees will gradually be implemented in other parts of Kepong as well.

The areas listed by DBKL include Jinjang Selatan, Jinjang Utara, Kepong Baru, Metro Prima-Magna Park, Pekan Kepong, Taman Petaling Kepong, Taman Sri Segambut, Sri Edaran Kepong, Laman Rimbunan Kepong and Pusat Kepong.

“In their letter, DBKL further stated that there were plans to instal notice boards and mark parking spaces with yellow paint,” said Yee.

“DBKL also said it would put up a temporary banner informing people about the parking fees, before a permanent notice board could be installed.

“However, I have not seen any banners so far,” he said.

Yee hoped DBKL would reconsider the policy and give an exemption on parking fees in the industrial area so that the shop owners would not be unduly burdened.

Auto workshop operator Lee Hoi Eng, 38, said the move by DBKL was unreasonable because parking fees had never been collected in the area before.

“We already have to cope with the higher assessment tax as well as sales and service tax (SST), so parking fees will add to the financial burden of shop owners who operate their businesses for more than 10 hours a day.”

Lee added that DBKL should engage with shop owners before implementing the charges.

A local coffeeshop owner who wanted to be known only as Yap, 57, feared that the parking fees would make it more difficult for businesses to survive.

“We have just recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic and if DBKL insists on the move, they should at least consider lowering the parking fees.

“The current rate of RM1 per hour is higher than the rate in other areas, which is 80sen per hour,” he said.