Illegal parking causes problems at Sibu Airport
SIBU: Illegal parking inside and outside the airport terminal here is causing inconvenience to passengers carrying their luggage, besides posing danger to other road users.
Congestion at the airport is especially felt during peak hours in the morning and evening – even the three designated parking lots for buses are taken up by private cars, despite the availability of a designated parking area for cars.
In this regard, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd Sibu manager Zainuddin Abu Nasir is urging the public to make use of the car parking zone, which can accommodate up to 500 vehicles at any one time.
“From our survey today, only 191 lots have been taken up, leaving 309 lots vacant. There are 19 vehicles being parked illegally,” he said, adding that there were vehicles being parked indiscriminately by the roadside outside the parking zone.
Zainuddin hoped that the public would not take to social media to highlight the issue without first knowing the root cause, which is indiscriminate parking inside and outside the airport terminal despite repeated reminders against motorists doing it.
“We have been frequently informing the public to park at the designated parking zone. Some of them are very understanding as they only dropp off the passengers and left.
“My car park staff conduct walks around the area and approach them (drivers who park indiscriminately), but we cannot be on standby there all the time. Signs have been erected to inform the public but sadly, they are often ignored.”
Zainuddin explained that the main duty of the car park staff is to ensure that the car parking equipment and facilities are operational and should any of them are found to be faulty, the personnel would have to do their tasks, including collection, manually.
Sometimes the personnel would inform drivers whose car windows are not fully closed down – they would even assist in calling for a mechanic from Sibu Jaya should there be a vehicle breakdown.
“Public awareness and their consideration are very important and we hope that the social media community could play their role effectively.
“The police would often go for rounds here as there are vehicles blocking the road outside the terminal that pose danger to other road users.
“However, the police also have other tasks, particularly during the peak hours, to attend to public needs such as those making reports at the airport,” Zainuddin pointed out, adding that traffic police from town would also assist their colleagues from Sibu Jaya from time to time.