When I wrote the article for duck and chicken, I mentioned briefly about the parking attendants in the hawker centre or food court. I didn’t know that I will have more to tell.
A letter came from the City Council of Penang or Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP). The envelope is white but at a glance you can see a blue letter.
It was addressed to my husband. His vehicle was parked outside a parking lot in April 2013. We weren’t in the area of Leith Street and upon checking with our daughter, she now remembered about the parking summon. This street is near to her Equator Academy of Art where she is studying fashion design. She had forgotten to settle this. Ah. That’s a sigh from a parent. We all make mistakes and things can be overlooked one time or another.
We were amazed that the letter was dated 12 Sept 2013 for a parking infringement. And how did they find us? Hmm. I looked at the details, and they printed the time 1:00pm, Vehicle Number, and the Road Tax Disc number. Wow. They are thorough, aren’t they?
The amount is for MYR 30.00. We have to settle this within 15 days. Otherwise . . . I think we will not be able to renew our Road Tax when it is due.
I took the letter to the MPPP and went to settle the amount. MPPP is situated at Komtar, the tallest building in Georgetown, Penang. It is on the third floor and you walk through a shopping bazaar to reach the office.
You have to take a number and then wait for your number to be displayed. You will know which counter to go to. You just present your letter or bill and the cashier will take your money and run the bill over the machine to print your payment. The cashier will also tear off a segment for their records and return you the bill with the printed payment details. You don’t have to wait very long. I paid my bill within five minutes.
Around Penang, we do have parking meters but we also have parking attendants. Once you park your car at a public car park lot, you will have to check whether it is by meter or by attendant. If you don’t see a meter, look for the attendant. If you don’t see the attendant, he or she will put a parking notice on your windshield. This notice is official with the MPPP name on it. It is in yellow/green.
When you find the attendant, he or she will write a receipt for you. This receipt is pink/red colour.
You are advised to keep the receipts just in case but I have not kept my receipts since it can accumulate. Just make sure that the receipt shows your car number and that the date and street name is correct.
For 40 sen a half hour or 80 sen an hour, it is still affordable to drive your car and find a parking spot in Penang. Usually, there are more vehicles than parking lots! Have fun and cruise around or park in a private parking lot.
/// Written by Irene Tan
