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By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 14: A concerned and devastated city worker has urged the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) to urgently review parking arrangements along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Chan Chin Ann, proposing a compromise solution of allocating at least 50 bays for monthly season parking in order to balance fairness for office workers and turnover needs in the city centre.
In a passionate appeal, the citizen challenged MBKS’s position that the bays have “historically not been designated for season parking,” arguing that long-standing practice should not be used to justify continued hardship for daily commuters.
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“If a system has been broken for decades, it is the duty of our leaders to fix it, not to let a ‘bad tradition’ continue,” the citizen said, adding that workers should not suffer “simply because the system was designed poorly in the past.”
In an email to DayakDaily, the complainant, speaking on behalf of workers who they said have “suffered in silence for years” in the area, highlighted the financial strain faced by those who depend on vehicles to commute to work in the city centre.
“Many of us working in this area do not have the luxury of designated private car parks, nor do we have the luxury of reliable public transportation. We rely on our vehicles to earn a humble living, yet we feel we are being faulted and penalised by a system that is flawed to begin with,” the citizen said.
While acknowledging the council’s objective of maintaining parking turnover for tourists, customers and short-term visitors, the citizen questioned whether the current system reflects fairness for daily workers who sustain the city’s economic activity.
“The council emphasises ‘fair parking access’ for tourists and visitors, but where is the fairness for the people who keep the city’s heart beating every day?” the complainant asked.
They further highlighted the cost burden, noting that the absence of a RM42.40 monthly season pass forces workers to pay RM13 to RM14 per day.
“This totals RM240 to RM260 per month—a markup of over 500 per cent,” the citizen said, adding that enforcement has also resulted in heavy penalties.
“We have documented cases where a single worker has accumulated nearly RM500 in fines over just 2–3 months because the system provides no functional way to comply,” they said.
Based on observations, the citizen estimated that there are about 100 to 150 parking bays in the area and reiterated their proposal for a shared-use model.
“Can we not strike a balance where 50 bays, or even half the total, are open for season passes while the other half remains available for short-term parking?” they proposed, adding that “without the office workers and business entities that keep this area alive, who would the visitors and tourists be coming to see?”
They added a final appeal, questioning the daily burden faced by commuters: “Do we deserve the burden of a RM14.00 daily parking cost or the constant threat of overparking notices simply for coming to work every day?”
The citizen also urged authorities to implement “meaningful improvements and a functional solution” to address what they described as an inequity affecting Kuching workers.
Responding to the issue yesterday (May 13), MBKS reiterated that parking bays at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Chan Chin Ann have never been designated as season parking zones, even under previous systems before the Pay & Go implementation. The council said the policy is consistently applied across other high-traffic commercial areas such as Main Bazaar, Carpenter Street and Padungan.
MBKS Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng previously explained that allowing season parking in such zones would reduce turnover and limit access for other road users, especially those who require short-term parking throughout the day. He said the current approach is necessary to ensure fair parking access and higher turnover for customers, tourists delivery services and business operators in the city centre. — DayakDaily
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