Penang to have designated areas for buses and lorries to park

GEORGE TOWN: All lorry and bus operators commuting on the island will soon have to park their heavy vehicles at designated parking lots from March next year as the state tries out a revolutionary approach towards reducing the worsening traffic congestion here.
Announcing this after attending a two-hour dialogue session with the operators, state Local Government committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow (pix) said many of these heavy vehicles were usually parked around residential areas.
"This causes more congestion all over the state with such unsystematic parking arrangements," Chow said.
He said that many complaints were received from the residents, which prompted the relevant authorities including police, Road Transport Department (RTD), Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to act.
He said that the buses and lorries have been designated a few places on the island to park in a bid to reduce traffic jams.
The sites identified by the state government for vehicles to park are in Tanjong Tokong, Batu Maung near to Free Industrial Zone (FIZ), and Jelutong, said Chow.
"We are identifying a few new places such as in Persiaran Karpal Singh," he said
In Tanjong Tokong, the spot is beside the state Fire and Rescue Department fire station in Bagan Jermal, which can accommodate an average of 15 to 20 buses.
Chow hoped the operators will adhere to the ruling next year where enforcement action will be taken if they failed to adhere to the new regulations.
The dialogue was with 120 operators of buses, lorries and trailers.