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...ineffective enforcement allows for illegal squatting along five-foot paths
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 09:57:00
OBSTRUCTION: An assortment of goods obstruct these five-foot paths in Petaling Jaya
PETALING JAYA: The use of five-foot ways along shops to display or store goods is illegal.
Yet the local authority does not act against these illegal business operators.
The problem has been there for years, so much so that businesses have come to take this for granted.
They feel the practise of visual displays of their products along five-foot ways has been going on for generations, and, therefore the local authority will be sympathetic and refrain from taking action.
Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) deputy mayor Puasa Md Taib said action by the local authority is seen as causing them trouble.
However, he said that, in the past the council had taken action.
A fine for placing merchandise along the five-foot way or a display of advertising board blocking the path is a mere RM250.
A foreign visitor had asked if local by-laws allowed for trade along the five-foot way that was meant for the public to walk.
He said it was raining heavily one day and without an umbrella, he thought he could seek shelter by walking along the shops, only to find himself zig-zagging his way between shops, goods and the road.
MBPJ councillor T. Anthony said obstruction along pavements fronting shops in Petaling Jaya had always been a problem.
He said this was a bigger problem for the disabled, elderly and pregnant women as well.
"When that happens, these people are forced on to the road which, in turn, endangers their lives," he said.
Anthony, who is chairman of MBPJ's disabled committee, said he would raise the matter at the next Disabled Technical Team committee meeting.
The All-Petaling Jaya Residents Association Coalition (APAC) chairman Liew Wei Beng said the MBPJ’s Enforcement Unit should apply the Uniform Building By-Law to ensure that five-foot ways are barrier free.
“Unfortunately, they neither do their work nor apply the law evenly," he said.
"It is a problem all over PJ and the disabled too have complained. It’s been going on for years, a practice by unscrupulous traders,” he said.
He said restaurants were allowed to place dining tables and chairs along five-foot ways and for which they had to have a license.
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