From: Sandra Rajoo, via email

The pinch of rising costs is getting more painful and distressful by the day. To make matters worse, the recent move by DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) to increase parking rates has given residents in most parts of the city additional headache. It looks like authorities are never interested in taking the man-in-the-street’s perspective when handling problems or implementing policies.

Earlier, talk of increasing rates to solve unending traffic problems, and city congestion with the aim of encouraging carpooling and taking public transport, seemed to refer to the city centre or central business district.

But, lo and behold, increased rates have not only been imposed in the CBD but insidiously moved into all parts of KL outside the city centre.

Taxing residents this way is the wrong way to increase DBKL’s coffers. Has no one considered eradicating wastage, increasing efficiency and a better parking and public transport system, plus wiping out personal gratification and corruption as a way of putting money in the bank? Or is passing the buck to the poor, unsuspecting citizen easier and more convenient?

Saying that our parking charges are among the lowest in the world is rubbing salt into the wound.

I will not be wrong to say that the decision to deal with parking and traffic congestion is, ironically, in the hands of privileged people who have almost never needed to park their car in a public place or taken public transport.

Sandra Rajoo is an FMT reader.

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