Shophouse residents protest parking charges

SELAYANG (June 7): Residents in shophouses at One Selayang, off Jalan Kuching in Selangor are protesting against the parking charges to be imposed in the area by the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).

The residents assembled in a show of protest at the entrance to One Selayang, reported The Star today.

Housewife Grace Sog said One Selayang is more like a residential area than a commercial area and most of the vehicles parked there belong to residents, not visitors.

“If the council implements the parking charges, we will have to buy monthly passes. We have been parking for free for the past 10 years,” she said during an on-site press conference.

With six blocks comprising 448 shophouses and 64 shoplots, One Selayang has been around for about 11 years.

The occupants said MPS did attempt to charge parking in 2017, but failed.

“If parking charges are imposed, shoplot owners may have to rent bays from the council and this will reduce the number available to those staying here,” businessman Lai Han Siang, 44, pointed out, adding that parking is already limited in the area.

“Residents pay RM50 while the shoplot owners pay RM100 as service charges to the JMB (Joint Management Body),” he explained.

No JMB or MPS representatives attended the press conference, but the implementation which was due to start on June 1 has been postponed following discussions between the two parties.