Just the other day I was in a heated discussion with other car enthusiasts about illegal parking, being trapped in Malaysia where illegal parking is deemed the norm by so many drivers, it gets a little frustrating just discussing about it.
It all started when a friend of mine was complaining that he kept on seeing cars which were parked at handicap parking spots at shopping malls, cars without proper stickers indicating that it does belong to a handicapped person.
My argument was that I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt because based on my experience, I once had a staff who broke his leg and had to hop around in crutches for about a month. Being in that condition, I am very sure in that circumstance, he should be allowed to park at the handicap spot as his leg was in a cast and it isn’t easy getting in and out of a car with crutches.
Of course, being the naive guy that I am, my friend then corrected me and said that he would still inform the security guards to clamp the car. So much for giving others the benefit of the doubt in this situation. Reminds me of a high handed action where the motto catch first before finding any fault with the offender.
I guess the same goes for people who constantly double park their cars and then leave a number of their vehicle’s windscreen for people to call them. I really do hate it when that happens and I really do hate it even more when I am in a hurry and my car is blocked by them. I really really really hate it when the owner of the so called blocking vehicle would not even have the courtesy to apologise and give a look as if they were in the right all this while. We really have lost it in terms of our manners and our ability to follow the letter of the law. Like the term is sometimes used, “Wah got money to buy expensive car but no money to learn the proper manners”.
Some folks tend to have a vengeful side to their otherwise docile behaviour, sometimes suggesting that they scratch the alleged car blocking their vehicles while others would attempt to slowly scratch their way through using their already mounted kangaroo bars. If I can get the authorities to tow the car away, I would gladly welcome it.
This topic isn’t exactly very new, as everyday I pass by Bandar Utama, Damansara Utama, SS2 and many other places, the scourge of illegal parking will continue to spread rapidly like cancer. Why the analogy? Its because the very act of these people parking their cars illegally can definitely cause a lot of trouble to other motorists and pedestrians.
I might be as bold to say that I do hope for a more stricter punishment for people who park their cars illegally. Rather than just clamping their cars and getting the owners to pay a fine, I feel that the authorities should also charge them to at least 8 hours of community service work, whether it is to paint the worned out lines on the road or to clean the streets and roads of rubbish and debris. If that law is enforced and carried out religiously, I am very sure we will see less people parking illegally.
Hey, if I was ever elected to Mayor of Petaling Jaya, I would probably follow the footsteps of this guy in the video below.
Now where can I get a used tank.
Image credit: Christopher Ziemnowicz
*This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Autofreaks.Net
