Better parking, better safety

I RECENTLY highlighted the shortage of bus parking bays that caused problems at tourist sites in Penang. On Dec 21, I was elated to read in a report that the Penang government has set aside three parcels of land on the island to accommodate tour and factory buses, which will ease traffic congestion in the city centre and the industrial area in Bayan Lepas.

Other states should emulate Penang’s move, by identifying suitable empty public spaces and converting them into parking zones for heavy vehicles.

Local authorities are fond of painting yellow lines on many city streets and residential roads but with no desire to enforce them. Likewise, they could not see heavy vehicles when they are parked by the roadside, especially at night.

Where ample space is available, these heavy vehicle parking zones should be equipped with facilities for cleaning and checking vehicles, and bathrooms for drivers to shower. Entrepreneurs could supply sleeping capsules for drivers to enjoy the soundest sleep at minimal cost.

As such, these heavy vehicle parking zones not only alleviate congestion in the city, they also contribute towards road safety on our highways. All this should have been introduced eons ago, considering that 67,667 fatalities were recorded on Malaysian roads in the decade from 2007 to 2016.