Malaysia passed a countrywide law where it is illegal to save a parking spot by standing in it.
Nothing frustrates me more on the internet than seeing videos people caught on dashcam saving parking spots by standing in them. To counteract this idiotic and selfish behavior that is apparently such a problem in Malaysia that they had to pass a rule against it, according to Paul Tan Auto News on their report on this important piece of legislation earlier yesterday (Sept. 20,2018) it’s now illegal to do so. The Royal Malaysia Police made this clear in a Facebook post below. Attempting to save a parking spot by standing in said space will now cost offenders a whopping 2000 RM or roughly $485.
I’m going out on a limb guessing here on why this is a problem probably more in Malaysia than anywhere else. Malaysia is a relatively small country compared with others. At just 127 thousand square miles, it’s roughly the size of New Mexico. And with 32 million people, that’s about 16 times more than New Mexico at just 2 million. Space is at a premium.
However, it looks like car ownership in Malaysia isn’t all too difficult compared to some countries nearby, most notably Singapore. Standard 1.8L Honda Civics retail for around $26,000 which is what anyone expects to pay here in the United States. My point is that when you’ve got so many cars in such a small area, open public parking spots, I imagine, are rare.
More nimble than any car driving around is a person on two feet scouring a parking lot for spaces. By standing in a space, the only recourse for drivers who want those spaces they’re standing in is to either push them out by inching your car forward or getting out of your car to face them, two things no person would want to do. So, people who do this sort of selfish act usually win…until now.
Under Section 50 (3) 1987nd street transport act, part “harassment and insistence violate the law” express as follows:
” if any person but with a valid power, is above any road or in any parking place of the intent of pressing any other person regarding care or cleaning a motor vehicle, or for intent to aim where – Where’s the driver of a motor vehicle about putting a train on the road or in that place, he’s done a mistake.”
And under section 119, the penalty for this error is a fine until Rm2, 000 or jail up to 6 months and the total penalty and the duration of prison detention will be more for the next mistake.
I reckon there will be some brave souls who’ll still risk standing in spaces but this is a step in the right direction to get some justice on this annoying practice.
Here’s what this practice looks like when someone pulled this off earlier this year in New York. Despicable.
Kudos to you, Malaysia. And other countries with parking problems, take note. Spaces are few and far between, sometimes, but we can be civil about it.
