PETALING JAYA, July 20 — The two-hour limit imposed by City Hall on parking at roadside bays since Monday may result in a decrease in traffic entering the city, which could adversely affect business, according to Malaysia Shopping Malls Association president Tan Sri Eddy Chen.
He said the move may not be the best response to parking woes in the city.
“City Hall’s rationale is to discourage unnecessary traffic in the city centre while encouraging the public to opt for public transportation.
“We feel that if public transportation is not readily available, fewer people will come into the city, with a corresponding negative impact on business.”
Chen said the move may also see greater demand for privately-owned and managed parking bays.
“This may lead to higher private parking charges, which may add to motorists’ woes.
“The onus is on city hall to ensure alternatives are available to the public and to ensure businesses are not affected,” he said.
Chen urged City Hall to ensure the public was well-informed about the various types of public transport around the city.
“This will ensure the city continues to be vibrant and business is robust.”
On Monday, City Hall began enforcing a new parking system that prohibits motorists from parking at the same bay for more than two hours.
The move is aimed at easing traffic congestion and meeting the shortage of parking bays in the city, besides encouraging city folk to use public transportation.
A spokesman for a management firm that oversees several multi-storey car parks here said there could a price hike of between 10 and 20 per cent.
“We expect to see an increase as people move away from parking on the streets to using parking in buildings. However, the rate will be up to owners of car parks.
“The increasing demand for parking in buildings will place a strain on our facilities besides increasing operating costs,” he said, adding that his firm managed nearly 1,000 parking bays.
He said the rate charged per hour for such parking depended on the owner of the car park and was generally between RM4 and RM10 for the first hour and slightly less for subsequent hours.
“There is no standard price scheme. It would not be practical as different owners have different requirements and costs, among other things,” he said.
Another car park management firm said parking at car parks costs much more than at roadside lots due to infrastructure and maintenance.
“We have to ensure ticket machines are up to date and able to handle cashless systems such as Touch N Go and automatic tilting arm barriers are functioning well.
“Also, there is surveillance and security costs involved. The extra strain on machines is going to cost us more.”
He said while the new parking rates were well-intentioned, implementation was premature as the country’s public transportation system was unable to cater to consumer demand.
“City Hall is under pressure to do something about the parking shortage but our public transportation is not at a level where people want to use it. They prefer their cars,” he said.
