Motorists eagerly await Feb 2 parking amnesty day
KOTA KINABALU: Motorists in the city are looking forward to the upcoming City Hall amnesty day on February 2 to settle compounds and parking fee arrears at a discount.
Those motorists who have arrears of parking tickets (under the previous parking ticket system before coupon system was implemented) will also be given discounts, whereby vehicle owners only pay RM10 for each vehicle to settle the arrears.
Members of the public are urged to take this opportunity to pay their outstanding parking compounds and tickets at the payment counters, ground floor, DBKK building which will be opened from 8am to 9.30pm, on Feb 2.
JuaraGym founder and entrepreneur Ben Uzair is eager to take advantage of the offer of RM10 for each compound issued under the Kota Kinabalu City By-laws (Provisions of Parking Places) (Coupon Parking) 2014, involving illegal parking and coupon parking offences.
“I have several summonses I received due to meetings that ran late which did not allow me time to replenish my parking coupons.
“As a businessman who is frequently on the go, it is very inconvenient for me to settle my dues when City Hall counters close at the end of office hours; Amnesty Day counters open until 9.30pm,” he noted.
Ben, who is also National Transformation 2050 (TN50) ambassador, said residents of Kota Kinabalu should be proud to call this city home and pay their dues, “no questions asked.”
“Facilities are provided by City Hall for our convenience, and not for abuse. What is due, is due - no questions asked.
“Let’s take advantage of this Amnesty Day to settle outstanding summonses at a discount and go to the counters beyond office hours. Let’s be responsible KKians!” he added.
The Amnesty Day will be the first for Ben, who hopes the wait will not be too long but is optimistic the atmosphere will be positive.
Lenore Lee, on the other hand, recalls settling parking ticket arrears before the coupon system was implemented.
She remembered City Hall staff being very efficient at the numerous counters being opened, expressing hope that orderly service will be maintained this time around.
However, Lenore will not be settling summonses this coming Amnesty Day as she has no outstanding compounds.
She said this was because the parking coupon system encourages motorists to be more responsible and punctual, instead of hogging a parking spot for too long.
“With the current coupon system, it indirectly helps us keep time and become more responsible in that sense.
“I don’t have any outstanding summonses so far because this system has helped me become more conscious when parking,” she said.
Lenore agreed that motorists should settle unpaid compounds during Amnesty Day rather than having to pay full price, although she worried it would ‘pamper’ the public.
“There are pros and cons to Amnesty Day. Some people are genuinely unable to settle compounds on time, so this is a good opportunity for them to do so.
“On the other hand, it may make others think they can get away with delaying payment because they rely on this day to settle everything at a discount.
“In any case, I think the public should be responsible in their use of amenities and facilities,” she said.
Meanwhile, defence counsel Ram Singh said there should be more publicity of Amnesty Day, whether it is through signages around the city area or on social media, for public awareness.
Nonetheless, he said the exercise was indeed a good move by the mayor to collect arrears or outstanding parking fees, and urged the public to take advantage of this initiative.
Other than outstanding compounds, motorists with arrears of parking tickets (under the previous parking ticket system before coupon system was implemented) would also be given discounts where vehicle owners would only pay RM10 for each vehicle to settle the arrears.
Members of the public can pay their outstanding parking compounds and tickets at the payment counters, ground floor, City Hall building which will be opened from 8am to 9.30pm on February 2.