Malaysian Institute of Planners says DBKL’s proposed plan must be carried out gradually and with sufficient research.
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP) has welcomed Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) move towards disallowing parking bays in the city, but warns that detailed research must be conducted first.
MIP president Ihsan Zainal Mokhtar said the policy would be beneficial in the long run, although DBKL should look into the city planning itself in a comprehensive manner.
“In the long term, yes, it is a good policy. But in the short term, the public will not accept it.
” City Hall should make sure public transport meets the mark for the policy to take effect holistically, such as setting lower fees for parking bays and for public transport services,” he told FMT today.
Although the policy would not work overnight, he said it would encourage people to take public transportation around the city area.
“The policy has already started in the Subang area, where there are less parking bays available at Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations. This is a good move. But it must be done in a gradual manner for different parts of the city,” Ihsan said.
Ihsan was commenting on reports that DBKL is looking at ways to disallow parking bays in an effort to reduce road traffic and encourage people to use public transportation.
Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said not having parking bays in buildings had become a trend in developed cities around the world, adding that Kuala Lumpur would follow suit.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, however, lashed out at the move, saying Tengku Adnan had lost touch with what was happening on the ground.
“If this is what he wants, then DBKL should not have any parking bays outside of its headquarters,” she said when contacted by FMT.
Kok said it was ironic that the minister had approved high density buildings in Kuala Lumpur but ignored the potential problems.
“He ignores the problems of traffic and transport, and he does not want to give enough parking places to people who work and stay in KL.”