We don’t have many recreational parks but the few we have share one problem: insufficient parking for visitors.
This is a growing nuisance. It is normal to spend 10 to 15 minutes just to find a legitimate parking spot.
Often, people resort to parking their vehicles illegally.
We see this at several parks in Kuala Lumpur, including Lake Gardens, Bukit Kiara and Taman Tasik Titiwangsa.
These parks were built for recreational activities and promote a healthy lifestyle.
But parking shortage is a norm especially during public holidays and weekends.
Parking at fast food outlets, which are not quite as healthy, always seems a lot easier. And that’s where many people who intend to run or walk in the parks sometimes end up going!
Lately, at Taman Tasik Shah Alam and Wet World Water Park Shah Alam, visitors have resorted to parking their vehicles on walkways, grassed areas outside homes, sidewalks and even bicycle lanes!
This may pose a serious danger to cyclists and pedestrians.
As a cyclist, I would have to swerve to the right and into the middle of the road whenever there’s a car parked in the blue lane.
I don’t have to describe how vulnerable that makes a cyclist feel.
Recreational parks and facilities such as Taman Tasik Shah Alam and Wet World Water Park Shah Alam are wonderful places and should not cause headaches to the city council, local residents and motorists.
Local authorities and state enforcement agencies could come up with safety measures to tackle this issue. They can start by towing away vehicles parked in blue lanes.
During peak hours, the authorities should only allow cars with full load of passengers to park in the designated areas. This will discourage single-occupant cars from taking up parking lots that are already so limited.
