Lack of parking spots in Johor Bahru affects businesses in the city

JOHOR BAHRU - The lack of parking in downtown Johor Bahru has grown worse over the years, with business owners and visitors at their wits’ end to find a spot.

Checks by StarMetro around the city centre found many cars parked illegally along both sides of narrow roads, especially around Jalan Dhoby, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and Jalan Trus.

Motorcycles could also be found parked illegally along pedestrian walkways.

Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) enforcement officers were seen regularly issuing summonses to illegally parked vehicles and towing them away.

Mr Robin Jian, who owns a restaurant in Jalan Dhoby, said the lack of parking had affected his business as an increasing number of customers were opting not to eat there any more because there was nowhere to park nearby.

“They tell me they would like to have their meals here but they just cannot find any parking. Some of them had their cars towed for parking illegally along the road.

“It is not that they do not want to park in the designated areas, they just cannot find an available spot,” he said.

Mr Jian said the situation has gone from bad to worse, especially now that several parking bays that were previously available along the road were removed to make room to build walkways.

“I understand that the city council has to do its job, but towing the vehicles is a temporary measure,” he said.

“The root cause of the problem is lack of parking areas, which forces visitors to park at the side of the road despite knowing it is illegal.”

Apart from a lack of parking spots, traffic congestion coupled with ongoing construction works around the city centre had also driven visitors away, he claimed.

Mr Jian noted that Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi had been proactive in making impromptu visits to the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar and the Sultan Abu Bakar customs, immigration and quarantine complexes to help tackle congestion at the border with Singapore.

“I hope that he will make similar visits here to help find a long-term solution to the congestion and parking issues (in this area).

“If this problem continues, it will affect businesses that are already having a tough time trying to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is high time that the state government looks into this issue seriously, especially if they want to make Johor a tourism destination,” he said.

Mr S. Sures, who runs a shop selling clothes and textiles on Jalan Trus, has lost a lot of customers due to the lack of parking.

“Visitors also have to compete for limited parking space with those working in Singapore, and this is making the problem worse.

“Workers heading across the Causeway park their cars here in the morning and head to work (by bus), and they only return at night, leaving even fewer parking spots for others.

“Some visitors who had their cars towed for parking illegally along the road are reluctant to patronise shops in the area now.”

Mr Sures hopes that Johor government and the city council can come up with a temporary solution to deal with the large crowd expected for the Deepavali bazaar in November.

“The bazaar will probably be held along Jalan Ungku Puan. The city centre will be more crowded than usual then, so something needs to be done,” he said.

Student management assistant Nurul Aisha Mohd Yusoff said there were times when she had to abandon plans to visit downtown Johor Bahru with her family because they could not find parking space.

“My husband and I make it a point to take our children out on weekends. We enjoy going to Bazaar Karat but the hunt for a parking spot in the area can be frustrating,” she said.

“If you are lucky and patient, you can get a place to park after making two or three rounds. However, if we are still unable to find a bay then, we will go somewhere else.

“It is a shame as there are so many nice cafes and shops in town that people cannot visit because of this problem,” said Ms Nurul Aisha.

She said the rows of cars parked illegally along the narrow roads also made her anxious.

“I worry that I might accidentally hit the cars. It is also contributing to the traffic congestion in town because we have to drive very slowly,” she added.

Businessman Syed Mohd Ghazafi Syed Abu Bakar tries to avoid going to the city centre.

“I will go downtown only if I have an urgent errand to run. I understand the stress that business owners face due to the parking problem.

“At the same time, there are no vacant areas around town that can be turned into parking bays. It is a problem that will need some time to be solved,” he said.

Johor Bahru Business and Hawker Association president Roland Lim said the vehicles parked illegally around town posed a hazard, and they made it difficult for other motorists to get to their destinations.

“While it is hard to get a parking space in town, that is not an excuse for motorists to just park wherever they want,” he said.

Johor Tourist Guides Association chairman Jimmy Leong said there was a need to provide more free shuttle buses.

“Visitors can park in a more suitable area elsewhere and take a shuttle to the city centre. While MBJB already provides the service, better routes are needed.

“Many people are also unaware the service exists as there is a lack of promotion,” Mr Leong added. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK