In an exclusive report by The Star, Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Dahlan has reportedly ordered wheel-clamping to be indefinitely suspended starting November 2018.
A source from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) revealed that DBKL’s executive director (planning) Datuk Mahadi Che Ngah had met with senior officers from their legal and finance departments, along with DBKL’s parking operator to discuss this matter, and it looks like wheel clamping enforcement could be put to an end sooner than we think.
The KL mayor reportedly came to this decision after recently witnessing a motorist and DBKL officers getting into an argument at Taman Tun Datuk Ismail and felt that wheel clamping gave people a negative view of his agency.
However, this is not the first time DBKL has suspended the wheel clamping enforcement, as they previously did so earlier in May 2018 following the events of GE14, although this suspension was just for a short period of time in non-hotspot areas around KL.
This previous suspension was implemented while DBKL’s contract with parking operators was sorted out. They had reportedly outsourced their parking contract to Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP), who hired parking contractor Vista Summerose to manage parking and clamping.
Now, the parking contractor’s managing director Datuk Nik Haidi Nik Mohamed has also confirmed the KL Mayor’s orders to indefinitely suspend clamping enforcement, saying,
“Unfortunately, it is true and we are disappointed because we have a contract that clearly spells out that DBKL authored us to clamp illegally parked vehicles.”
He expressed concerns over the compensation cost for this, which he estimated to be about RM80 million. On top of that, over 100 employees under Vista Summerose will also be jobless by November because of this order. He added,
“Clamping was the most effective enforcement method in easing congestion in Kuala Lumpur and we have proven it countless times in the past.”
Read The Star’s full report here.
What are your thoughts on the KL mayor’s order? Is it beneficial to motorists in the city? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: No More Vehicle Clamping Operations in Kuala Lumpur For Now