PETALING Jaya City Council (MBPJ) will soon link its system to the Road Transport Department (JPJ) , which will enable the council to blacklist vehicles with outstanding summonses.
With the link established, those with unpaid compounds issued by MBPJ for traffic and parking offences will not be able to renew their road tax.
Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman said the council had in mid-August reapplied for traffic warden status from the Transport Ministry and the JPJ, which would allow MBPJ to blacklist vehicles with outstanding summonses.
“We will be discussing the issue with JPJ soon and once we have the measures in place, those with outstanding summons will be forced to settle their dues in order to renew their road tax,” Roslan told
StarMetro.
Currently, offenders need only settle summonses that are issued by the traffic police or JPJ for offences that include using handphones while driving, speeding, running the red light at traffic junction and driving with an expired road tax, before they can renew their road tax.
MBPJ issues compounds to motorists who do not display parking coupons, who double park or park on grass verges and at non-designated parking areas.
For offences such as these in areas under the council’s jurisdiction, the fine is RM100.
Traffic offenders are also given a grace period to appeal against the fine.
Most of the time, traffic offenders choose to disregard the local council’s compounds as it does not affect their road tax renewal.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall is currently the sole local government with the authority to issue traffic summonses.
MBPJ had first applied for the link-up with JPJ on Nov 17, 2009 and again in mid-2010. This will be its third attempt.
Roslan said he was confident the link would materialise soon and help make roads in Petaling Jaya safer, as part of the council’s ongoing plans to create a barrier-free city.
“We have measures in place that will complement the move to link with JPJ. We have our electronic e-Enforcement Management System (e-EMS), which has done away with manual reporting of parking offences; now, enforcement officers just key the data into the computer,” he said.
He explained that with the e-EMS, the tracking and notification task was automated, which enabled the council to easily keep track of the compounds issued.
MBPJ public relations director Haniza Abdul Hamid said from January to December 2011, 80,440 compounds were issued and only 20,193 were paid up.
“For the period of January to August 2012, 40,035 compounds were issued and only 9,953 were settled,” she said.
All Petaling Jaya, Selangor Residents’ Association Coalition adviser Mohamed Umar Peer Mohamed said MBPJ’s efforts to link with JPJ would make it easier to station enforcement personnel in areas with parking problems.
“Then MBPJ can take control of where, when and how the parking in the city is managed and enforced. Those affected by irresponsible motorists who park indiscriminately can also rest assured that the council will take action against errant motorists,” he said.
Haniza urged traffic offenders to take advantage of the ongoing 80% discount for compounds, which was being offered until December 2012.