Free parking for disabled in Penang: Sun2Surf – January 14, 2010

This article made a mistake when it mentioned that free parking for disabled people in Penang is the first of its kind in the country. Selangor implemented this policy some time in September 2009.

NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS :: Local News
Free parking for disabled in Penang
Wong Wooi Kean

GEORGE TOWN (Jan 14, 2010): All registered physically disabled persons in Penang will be allowed free public parking throughout the island in a new ruling, the first of its kind in the country, by the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP).

The MPPP has decided to issue special purple car-stickers, to be renewed after two years, for disabled individuals who can drive and for guardians of those who cannot.

The ruling, which does not cover the deaf and the blind, took effect today.

Councillor Tan Hun Wooi said those who have already registered with the Social Welfare Department qualify to apply immediately. Those who have not registered yet are encouraged to do so to be eligible.

“We encourage the disabled to apply for these special stickers for their convenience,” he said. The first batch of stickers will be issued by the end of this month, he added.

Tan said this at a press conference at the Caring Society Complex here today.

The MPPP has been receiving calls to increase the number of bays for the disabled, and decided to tackle the problem by going one step further in giving out stickers for free public parking throughout the island.

Of the 11,000-odd parking bays under the MPPP, only 15 are currently reserved for the disabled.

In the meantime, the MPPP will still go ahead with plans to increase the number of disabled bays, so as to give the disabled greater convenience in finding available parking.

Tan also warned the general public not to park their vehicles in places reserved for the disabled.

Society of Disabled Persons Penang president, Teh Lay Kuan, said she was grateful to the local authorities for initiating the new purple-sticker ruling.

According to the Welfare department, there were 15,611 registered disabled people in the state.

“We often find people who are inconsiderate when they park at parking lots meant for the disabled, causing us inconvenience,” she added.

Applications for the stickers can be made at the MPPP’s office on the 15th floor of Komtar here. For details, call 04-2592130.

Free parking in the city for the disabled: The Star – January 16, 2010

Metro
Home > Metro > North

Saturday January 16, 2010
Free parking in the city for the disabled

GOOD news for the disabled, the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) is giving them free parking in the city.

This is the first time the state government is offering such a privilege – making it the second state in the country to implement the facilities.


For the disabled: One of the reserved parking lots in the city.

The move was an effort by the council to be create a caring and disabled friendly society.

MPPP financial management subcommittee alternate chairman Tan Hun Wooi said special passes would be issued to disabled folk except for those who were blind and deaf.

He said the application for the special pass, valid for a year, was now available at the MPPP office.

To obtain the free pass, applicants have to produce photostat copies of their MyKad, disabled persons’(OKU) card, two passport-sized photographs, motor vehicle registration card, driving licence and a letter verifying the caretaker.

Registration can be done at Komtar, 15th floor. For further details, call 04-2592130.

He also said the council would not hesitate to issue summonses for vehicles that were parked at lots reserved for the disabled.

Currently, there are 15 such lots in the inner city and the council will be working with organisations for the disabled to come up more such parking lots elsewhere in the city.

Society of the Orthopaedically Handicapped Malaysia (POCAM) president Assoc Prof Dr Tiun Ling Ta said the move was noble.

However, he said, there was a need for better enforcement to prevent parking lots designated for the disabled from being used by unscrupulous drivers.

Asia Community Service Centre (ACS) executive director Khor Ai-Na described the move as “good and timely”.

She said the special passes for the disabled would also reduce the hassle the handicapped drivers face getting to the parking meter to insert their coins.

Society of The Disabled Persons Penang president Teh Lay Kuan lauded the move and urged the public not to park at reserved parking lots for the disabled.

“The reserved lots are there for a reason and I hope the public will be more considerate,” she said.

Dear Jusco

After the parking incident on Sunday, I sent a love note to Juso via email. They replied a while ago to apologise for the incident and asked for my contact number. I provided my phone number and am waiting for the next response from them.

Dear Sirs/Madams,

My wife and I are regular shoppers at your stores in Taman Maluri Shopping
Centre, Mid Valley Megamall, 1 Utama Shopping Centre and sometimes at
Kinta City Shopping Centre. I am a wheelchair user and I appreciate the
fact that Jusco has taken the effort to include accessible toilets for the
convenience of shoppers like me.

However, the accessible toilets at Taman Maluri and Kinta City are too
small for comfort to accomodate a wheelchair user and a personal
assistant. You should look into the dimension prescribed in the Uniform
Building By-Law 34A in Malaysian Standard MS 1184: Code of Practice on
Access for Disabled People to Public Buildings to build proper and
functional toilets that disabled people can use.

The Taman Maluri store has two parking spaces for disabled people outside
the supermarket but it is mostly occupied by cars with non-disabled
drivers or passengers. This lack of enforcement by your security personnel
has rendered this parking space useless for disabled people who want to
shop at Jusco. What is the point of allocating such spaces when everyone
ignores its purpose and parks there leaving disabled drivers like me with
no place to park and get out from our cars conveniently?

Please see below my account about an incident that happened on Sunday at
your Taman Maluri store car park:
http://www.petertan.com/blog/2009/01/05/inconsiderate-drivers-of-cars-wlc-
5702-and-wny- 8347/

There was one time when my wife moved the wheelchair signboards at the
Taman Maluri store for me to park there only to be scolded by a very rude
security personnel who did not verify if the car had a disabled driver or
passenger. When we indicated to him that I am a disabled person, he just
walked away without assisting my wife in moving the signboard. This
incident has reflected very badly on the professionalism of your security
personnel.

Moreover, the size of the accessible parking space in the multistorey car
park at Taman Maluri and outside Kinta City are of the wong size. Ideally,
accessible parking for disabled people should be 3.6m in width to allow a
wheelchair to be placed beside the car. The parking spaces at both places
are of regular size. If another car were to park too closely to our cars,
we will have problems opening the car door wide enough for us to get in.

If Jusco is serious in providing the parking space for disabled people, I
suggest that the cones and wheelchair signboards be removed as this is
causing disabled drivers problems when parking. You should instead assign
a security personnel near the parking space to ensure that only cars with
disabled driver or passengers park there.

I would also like to note that the Jusco stores that I frequent have
Priority Cashier Lane for disabled people, pregnant women and senior
citizens.Since its implementation until now, I have had to queue together
with other shoppers to pay. I am not complaining that I have to queue. I
am just disappointed that the signboard is there for show only as your
cashiers never bothered to give priority to the three categories of
people. In that case, I suggest that you remove that signboard since it
serves no purpose at all and make us queue like everyone else.

I hope Jusco will seriously look into these problems and take the
necessary actions to rectify the problems. I am sure Jusco would like to
ensure the comfort of all shoppers including wheelchair users, senior
citizens and pregnant women who are your loyal customers.

I look forward to a positive response from you.

Thank you.

Regards,
Peter Tan