BUSINESS owners in Taman Muda are against the proposal by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to implement the coupon parking system.
Laundry shop owner Phoon Lai Kiew, 53, said the coupon system was more troublesome.
“There is a high chance of being fined before one can find a place that sells the coupons,” she said.
She added the coupon system would be more expensive as people must pay by the hour.
“With the current system, after the first hour, we can choose how many additional minutes we want to park,” she said.
Another business owner Tay Hock Chin said there was no need to change the current system.
“Other councils and states use coupons too and it will get confusing.
“Does this mean we will have to start carrying around books of coupons everywhere?” he asked.
He said coupons usually have expiry dates which would make it unfair to those who had a to buy a book just to use one or two coupons.
Teratai Public Complaints Bureau chief Ben Liew is collecting signatures from those against the proposal and plans to submit it to the council by next week.
“The coupon system will inconvenience people further,” he said, adding it would be difficult to buy tickets when shops close and there would be wastage if people accidentally tear the wrong portion on a coupon.
“Although the council will be increasing its revenue by collecting payment in advance, it burdens the public.
“If we are changing, we should be going for something more advanced like using a cashless card system,” said Liew, adding there are some 10,000 parking lots in total around Ampang.
MPAJ president Abdul Hamid Hussain was quoted as saying they wanted to implement the coupon parking system by the end of this year.
He also said that the current system under parking operator Suasa Efektif (M) Sdn Bhd had been problematic due to the poorly maintained ticket dispensing machines that also do not accept new coins.
The existing contract is until 2019 and an early termination will mean MPAJ having to compensate the operator.
Source: The Star
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