Council wants to curb illegal parking by roadside

Post date: Jan 20, 2011 10:36:10 AM

Thursday January 20, 2011

edward@thestar.com.my

THE Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MBPJ) is attempting to convince SStwo Mall to let its shoppers park for free, until the infamous Rothmans Roundabout and the junction of Jalan 19/8 and Jalan Harapan are installed with traffic lights.

Operating right smack in the SS2 neighbourhood, the family-oriented mall is sandwiched between SS2/72 that faces a row of double-storey terrace houses and Jalan Harapan (17/4) which leads to the roundabout.

Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman said the council needed the shopping complex management’s cooperation in providing free parking to discourage shoppers from parking their vehicles on the roads in a haphazard manner and aggravating traffic congestion during peak hours.

“We understand that the mall, which has opened for business, plans to give three months of free parking but there is a pressing need for its management to continue allowing the free facility until the traffic lights are completed. Our purpose is to ensure that people do not park in an indiscriminate manner along Jalan Harapan and SS2/72 thus causing a backlog of traffic that will affect the main road,” he said. Catering to Section 14, 16, 17 and SS2 residents, the neighbourhood mall has 1,177 parking bays and MBPJ wants the management to allow the people patronising its food and beverage outlets that front SS2/72 to be given free parking in a bid to curb illegal parking along the road.

Roslan said that work to upgrade the traffic lights at the Rothmans Roundabout would involve the removal of the roundabout as well as relocating the underground utility cables and drainage system.

“During the earth works, there is bound to be a traffic snarl but we can control it if the other roads are not plugged up by vehicles parked illegally along the roads. We want to ensure a smooth flow of traffic and the mall’s contribution with free parking will help,” he said.

SStwo Mall centre manager Valentina Chong Abdullah said the shopping centre was offering free parking until middle of April but to extend the free facility, the request would have to be brought to the management for discussion.

“SStwo Mall is ready to help MBPJ to alleviate traffic jam by freeing the road sides of vehicles. At the same time, we hope the council’s enforcement officers can help direct the vehicles on SS2/72 to use the free sheltered parking bays in the mall,” she added.