Miri City Council to introduce licence plate recognition, boom gate system at 101 Baitulmal

MIRI (Feb 28): Miri City Council will soon implement a licence plate recognition and boom gate system at 101 Baitulmal Commercial Centre to address persistent parking management issues that have drawn complaints from the public and business operators.

Mayor Adam Yii said the council had recorded numerous complaints, including insufficient parking bays due to long-hour parking, vehicles failing to display or pay parking coupons, double parking causing congestion, and obstruction of access to nearby offices and premises.

“Although parking wardens have carried out regular monitoring and issued warnings to offending motorists, the problems have, unfortunately, persisted.

“The council views this matter seriously as it directly affects public convenience, business operations and overall traffic management within the city. Hence, this pilot project to address these issues in a more systematic and sustainable manner,” he told a press conference on Friday.

The project, assisted by an appointed contractor, Borneo Parking System (BPS), is part of the council’s effort to enhance parking management, improve traffic flow and create a more efficient parking environment in the city centre.

The system will incorporate features such as fast entry and exit, licence plate recognition, seamless cashless payment and live closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance.

Yii said that prior to full implementation, targeted to commence in April this year, system trials and public awareness announcements will be conducted to ensure a smooth transition.

“It will be subject to the completion of installation works, system integration and final technical testing. Members of the public will be duly informed of the official commencement date and relevant guidelines ahead of the enforcement,” he said.

He reiterated that the boom gate system is a comprehensive effort to ensure fair and equitable use of parking facilities, improve traffic circulation monitoring and enhance public convenience through seamless, cashless and contactless access.

The system will operate from Monday to Thursday, 8am to 5pm, and on Friday from 8am to 11.45am and 2.15pm to 5pm.

Charges will only apply within operational hours, with no additional fees beyond those times, Yii said.

On the digitisation of the parking system, he noted that the pilot project at 101 Baitulmal Commercial Centre forms part of the council’s transition from the conventional coupon-based system to a fully digital parking management system.

“So far, the proposed system has demonstrated positive outcomes at several locations in Miri, including UTC Miri, Bintang Megamall and Imperial Palace Hotel,” he said, expressing confidence that similar improvements in traffic control, compliance and efficiency can be achieved at the new location.