The Malay Mail Friday 5 AUGUST, 2011
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● Motorists going to Pasar vandalism in Taman Tasik Sentul, Jalan Sentul, are Cempaka, Bandar Baru TAKE NOTE advised to use the 50 parkBangi. ing lots built by City Hall two months ago. ● People have been advised to not consume Parking is FREE. fish caught in Taman Jaya as the water ● The public is asked to cooperate with comes from housing areas and, at times, the Kajang Municipal Council to check from overflowing sewage tanks.
NOT A GOOD SIGN: It should have been put back immediately or taken away, say passers-by
Online comments www.mmail.com.my Sign of inconsideration (Aug 4) ● WHY not ask the police to fine them (although I am not sure if they can do that) because fines or summonses issued by Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) tend to be ignored as they do not affect renewal of a driver’s licence. But if you have a police summons, it will show up when you want to renew your licence, which you can’t do unless you pay up first. — Anonymous ● POLICE cannot issue summonses to motorbikes parked in bays meant for cars or OKU. They can only issue summonss for parking at "no parking" spots or along roads with yellow lines, as well as for breaking other traffic rules. I once saw a car taking up two bays, causing inconvenience to others looking for parking space, and reported it to policemen sitting under a tree nearby but they did not issue any summons to the driver. From this, I presume they are not authorised to issue summonses for parking in the wrong bays. Maybe the local municipal councils can issue summonses for such cases. — shaktiman
Signboard removed
Ampang Jaya Municipal Council says replacement by next week A FALLEN street sign in Bandar Baru Ampang has been left by the roadside for more than a week. Several people the Hotline Roving Team spoke to expressed surprise the authorities have not done anything about it. "They should have put it
back or taken it away," says motorist HASSAN. "But to leave it there by the side of the road for more than a week shows a lack of responsibility." HASSAN says those unfamiliar with the area may find the lack of a signboard an inconvenience.
Boomgates need not be dismantled CITY HALL has clarified that residents' associations (RAs) which have put up security barriers at access roads leading into their neighbourhoods need not bring them down for the time being. Its Urban Transport Department deputy director, Abdul Hamid Surip, says whether the barriers remain depends on the approval of City Hall, which will take about four weeks. "Until then, the situation in each neighbourhood will be allowed to remain," he says when clarifying a Hotline report yesterday the RAs have to bring the barriers down immediately, pending City Hall's approval of their application. It was reported that of the 97 guarded communities in Kuala Lumpur, 67 are awaiting approval from City Hall for their proposed security measures. City Hall will meet the residents' associations of the 67 communities in stages. The first meeting, with 15 RAs, was held on Wednesday.
Besides, the signboard lying idle by the roadside is an eyesore, he says. No one knows for certain how the signboard got itself "uprooted". "It is unlikely it topped over. It could be the work of some vandals," says a passer-by. "However, it must have tak-
en a lot of effort to get it out." ● AMPANG Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) public relations officer Norhayati Ahmad says the signboard has been removed. She says a contractor has been hired to replace the signboard by next week.
Astro says price hike inevitable AMINUDDIN MOHAMED, a 33-year-old businessman from Kota Baru, is angry that Astro continues to increase its monthly bill. "On July 2, I was relieved to read in the newspapers the Cabinet had instructed Astro not to increase its tariff," he says. So, he was surprised to learn his recent Astro bill has increased from RM66 to RM79.45. "It is unimaginable that even a decision by the Cabinet can still be ignored by Astro,” he says. He says this makes the government and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) look bad. ● ASTRO customer service division senior vice-presi-
dent Rohaizad Mohamed says: "The price adjustment is, in essence, a rationalisation of existing Astro packages with the intention of creating more value for customers." He says AMINUDDIN had subscribed to the sports package, which is premium content, and will experience an increase in his subscription. "We have explained to AMINUDDIN the Family Pack remains unchanged at RM37.95 for 38 channels.” Customers have up to 18 packages to choose from, based on their budget. "Depending on the choice of package, you may not see any change in your subscription, or you may enjoy savings or see an increase if you opt for premium packages,"
Rohaizad tells Hotline. He says the last time Astro increased its prices was in 2007. However, because of escalating global and local content costs, particularly key sports content, it is no longer able to absorb escalating content costs without compromising on the quality of the services. "We have informed our regulator of the price revision and are in full compliance with the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. "Astro remains committed to provide choice and value and operates in the best interests of our customers." AMINUDDIN says he is "doubtful" despite the explanation and wants to hear what MCMC has to say.
● THOSE fellows are not scared of the RM300 fines and they won't pay them as no action will be taken against them. Towing the vehicles away is probably the better solution. — Ordinary Citizen ● TYPICAL Malaysian behaviour! Never learn, never change. These motorcyclists are the most inconsiderate road users. They nearly always beat traffic lights even when red when they think it's OK to shoot across, they park in the middle of parking lots meant for cars, they park just about anywhere because the motorcycle lots are either too far away or full and, worse still, they weave in and out of traffic risking their lives for nothing. They never want to obey laws, regulations or rules. I haven't even mentioned the fact they do not wear safety helmets, despite it being made compulsory way back in the mid-70s. ‘Bapak buat macam tu, hingga anak ke cucu pun buat macam tu!’ (If the father keeps doing this, even the child and grandchild would so the same thing). They wait until something fatal happens. Local council or police should not only fine them but haul away their machines and retain them for at least a week. These people never seem to learn or care. Their blatant actions show their mentality and attitude. Confiscate their machines, see whether they learn a lesson or not? — Anonymous ● HELLO, Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), you can put up 10 signs for all they care because you don't bother to enforce it. These uncivilised motorists need to be taught a hard lesson. Just tow or bring their cars or motorbikes to the compound and make them pay heavily and see if they dare to repeat it. — Harry Traffic diverted because of congestion (Aug 3) ● IS the complaint grousing that because he pays RM200, he should have been allowed to enter? So should every other Malaysian citizen who pays his or her taxes. Is he complaining about the congestion? Or is he complaining about the fact he has to drive through a one-way street? That is understandable but, hopefully, the police would have taken steps to ensure the traffic coming the other way would have been aware it was temporarily a twoway street. Traffic diversion has to be carried out when necessary. Or is he proposing that despite the congestion, the police did nothing? As I see it, there was nothing to complain about but he felt like complaining. Bad habits die hard among Malaysians. — EthnicMalaysian ● WHEN police presence is required to control the flow of traffic in certain areas, they are not available. But when you expect the traffic flow to be smooth, you find police or some other people have blocked part of the road, causing the jam. Many times, one-way streets are converted into two ways by police causing traffic to slow down and this results in a traffic jam and inconvenience to the public. Many times, the public is not informed of these diversions and get stuck in traffic jams unnecessarily. — shaktiman