Stop collecting illegal parking fees, council told

NST 2011/03/28
By Chong Chee Seong

BAKRI member of parliament, Er Teck Hwa, has urged the Muar Municipal Council to stop immediately the collection of parking fees at ungazetted sites.

He said collection of parking fees from these sites was illegal and the council should refund the money collected to vehicle owners.

Er said he had received complaints from members of the public who were slapped with compound fines for parking at ungazetted parking lots.

"When they demand to see the gazette notice of the place where they parked their vehicles, the council officers told them to meet in court.

"Many paid up although the parking tickets were illegally issued," he said at his Jalan Sakih service centre in Muar recently.

Er said everyone had the right to demand for the gazette notice to ensure the tickets were issued legally and the council should agree to such a request.

He said it was wrong for the council to set aside certain roads or open space for the collection of parking fees and start collecting them after approval in the council meeting.

"The approval is merely a formality but it has to be gazetted first."

Er said the gazette notice had to be published in newspapers first to inform the people.

"I regret the council has failed to do so.

"It imposes parking fees as soon as the parking lots on the roads are numbered."