To encourage ratepayers to settle up to RM61 million in arrears for parking and traffic offences on the island, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) is granting a grace period on May 1 and 2 for them to settle with some additional perks offered.
This is pending a new payment schedule which will come into effect after May 2.
"To encourage more people to pay their fines, the MBPP will grant a reprieve. All fines from 2008 to the present will be "reset" on May 1 and 2. People can take advantage of this, as they only have to settle a minimum fine on those dates," said Lord Mayor and MBPP president Datuk A. Rajendran.
"If you pay before 11:59 pm, you only need to pay the minimum penalty. All fines issued by the city hall since 2008 have been reset to the original amount, so people can take this opportunity to pay their fines," he said.
There will be new fine rates for the violations of traffic tickets for parking a motorcycle in a special area (A101), parking a vehicle in a special area (A201) and failing to pay a parking fee (A204).
It will be effective from May 2nd.
After May, Rajendran also warned that the council would be strict on unpaid tickets and offences.
"We will take this matter more seriously and bring repeat offenders to court."
He said although city hall has the right to bring violators to court, it has always been lenient not to cause more burden to them given the rising living costs.
"There are more than 100 types of fines in city hall, so on May 1 and 2, these fines will be "reset" and we hope that people can actively pay the fines."
Tang Chi Wai, the MBPP alternate chairman of the Financial Management Standing Committee, stressed that the “reset” of fines is mainly to introduce a new payment period for fines, and is not simply to give people discounts.
"Of course, people can take advantage of May 1 and 2, when the fine amount returns to the original, which is the cheapest time to pay the fine, but don't always think that we will give discounts."
In addition, he also emphasised that any residence parking lot rented from the city hall with a monthly rent of less than RM150 can enjoy a monthly parking pass discount of RM100.
He said that to enjoy the monthly parking pass discount, conditions must be met, and only those with no rent arrears can enjoy this benefit - The Vibes, March 31, 2024.
