Shop owners, tenants see red over parked vehicles
KUCHING: A group of shop owners and tenants at City Square commercial centre in Pending here wants action to be taken against unscrupulous parking of heavy vehicles along both sides of a back lane as it has affected their businesses badly.
They claimed that the heavy and long vehicles had been dominating both sides of the road including the unnumbered parking lots that are made available on one side of the lane, leaving a very narrow way even for smaller vehicles to pass through.
Such a situation had not only affected their businesses but also pose danger to road users and children who attend classes at one of the premises.
They claimed that some of the vehicles were parked there for one to two weeks prompting the shop owners and the tenants of the shop lots to park somewhere else.
Those vehicles, they alleged, were kept there while waiting to be serviced or repaired by a workshop that operates there.
According to several shop owners and tenants, who are affected by the unscrupulous parking of the vehicles, potential tenants who came to see the shop
This problem has persisted for too long and we want the relevant authorities to act against whoever is responsible in creating this scenario around our shop lots.
lots there refused to rent the shoplots after they saw long line of vehicles parked on both sides of the road.
The group claimed that they have complained to the local council more than 20 times and have had dialogues twice with the relevant authorities since the problem began to crop up about two years ago, but the problem has not been solved until today.
“This problem has persisted for too long and we want the relevant authorities to act against whoever is responsible in creating this scenario around our shop lots,” said one of the shop owners at a press conference here yesterday.
The developer has provided more than sufficient space for parking areas and the path in between rows of parking bays is arguably spacious as well.
According to a spokesperson of the developer, who was also present at the press conference, the access roads and the parking spaces in the area had been handed over to the local council in February.
However, until now the parking spaces there have not been gazetted, which could be one of the reasons why the lorry owners can park their vehicles anywhere they like.
Some of the premises owners claimed that apart from causing inconvenience, the trucks also serve as a ‘cover’ for social ills such as drug abuses, cable theft, littering and even break-ins.
Residents there are also getting more and more uneasy about their safety while premises owners face difficulties in drawing people to the area due to the problem.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Datuk James Chan when contacted said presently, the parking areas have not been vested with the council and thus the land is still under the developer.
Shop owners
He said only when the land is vested, and if there are any vehicles parked illegally, then the Police may be able to act and issue compound.
“On MBKS, also when it is gazetted, we can introduce controlled parking areas and the Council can act to compound if the vehicles are parked illegally in the controlled parking areas.
“However, if these vehicles remain parked in those spaces overnight, MBKS also cannot act if the road is still passable,” he said.
Chan said the MBKS management has reported to City Square Management that MBKS has taken various actions including stern warnings against the so called vehicles reported being parked at the vicinity.
He said MBKS has also written to various relevant authorities to also assist in whatever problem advocated by the said developers.
“Apparently, there are so many developers in MBKS areas but do not encounter such problems of City Square.
“Perhaps, all these developers should take their own initiatives to resolve such problems on their own,” he said.