What You Can Actually Do the Next Time Someone Parks in Front of Your House
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If there’s anything else we Malaysians are known for, it would have to be our horrible road ethics and double parking. Thanks to a source, we might be able to do something about it, and it has nothing to do with violent confrontation – which seems to be a common response when it comes to offences in this country. An expert at legal solution, here’s a breakdown of the simple steps Ask Legal has provided to the masses. But before we carry on, make sure you’re calm enough to follow through or else this isn’t gonna work out, so let’s cooperate like composed adults shall we?
“If any driver of a motor vehicle causes or permits such motor vehicle to remain at rest on any road in such a position or in such a condition or in such circumstances as to be likely to cause danger, obstruction or undue inconvenience to other users of the road or to traffic, he shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine of not less than one thousand ringgit and not more than five thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to both.”
Your job is to call appropriate authority (like JPJ/police/MBPJ, or whatever) to do the physical job, that means clamping or towing the annoying-ass car to another area. Apparently, a guy named Pepper Lim did this when his neighbour parked in front of his house for 10 months straight, so he ringed MBPJ who then sent a bunch of summons to the illegal parker that amounted to RM1,000 in total.
When that didn’t work out, MBPJ advised Lim to lodge a police report as his final solution. Although it’ll be best to avoid the police when it comes to such trivial cases like these, it can sometimes be necessary just to get it done and over with. But is there any other way besides the cops? Our source provided three practical solution to the cause:
- Speak to the vehicle owner.
- In case the owner doesn’t take action, then you call the local council.
- If that doesn’t work too, then you are permitted to lodge a police report under section 48 of the RTA 1987.
For vehicles that park illegally in public spaces, the Minor Offences Act 1995 or the Penal Code of Trespass is applicable for punishment but only at the discretion of the authorities, or the severity of the act. But if found guilty, the fine will be up to RM50.
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