TUESDAY-18TH DECEMBER 2007-Indiscriminate parking daily headache at KK central market

Indiscriminate parking daily headache at KK central market
• An unhappy motorist voiced his frustration over the inconsideration showed by drivers who parked indiscriminately along the road from the UNHCR Filipino market all the way to the central market. Julian, a marketing executive, said the inconsiderate action of these drivers had obstructed the traffic along the whole stretch of road causing a lot of inconvenience to other road users. “To make things worse, bus drivers are also seen double parking near the central market,” he said, adding that the area is congested throughout the day and even into the night. Julian also told Public Hotline that some of the vehicle owners act like they own the road by occupying almost half of the lane. “These drivers often park in a manner that makes section of the road impassable to other vehicles. And what made it worst is that the buses also often stop at the area to wait for or pick up passengers,” he said. He hoped the authority concerned will monitor the situation in the area and resolve the daily traffic congestion there. Julian also urged the relevant authorities to look into the matter seriously as it not only involves obstruction of traffic but also public safety. The spokesperson for Kota Kinabalu City Hall when asked to comment on the matter, said summonses would be issued to the drivers of buses or cars that are found obstructing traffic. He said the unavailability of parking lots is not an excuse for them to park wherever they like. He assured that the complaint would be forwarded to the enforcement unit for action to be taken. Meanwhile the City traffic police when contacted about the matter, said the police personnel are always monitoring the traffic along the road, especially during peak hours. “We try our best to reduce the congestion in the city by having a team of police personnel at areas where motorists are known to double park their vehicles but as soon as they leave the area, the problem happens again,” he said. The police spokesperson also appealed to the motorists to cooperate and abide by the law.