Penang govt cancels ANPR parking summonses, offers refunds
The move comes in the wake of a public backlash over the system, particularly complaints that motorists were given too little time to pay for parking before a compound notice was issued.
The Penang government has cancelled all parking summonses issued through its automated number plate recognition (ANPR) system for vehicles parked outside designated bays, and will refund motorists who have already paid. This change follows public criticism over the system, particularly complaints about insufficient time to pay before a notice was issued.
The Penang Island City Council previously claimed a one-minute grace period was sufficient for motorists to pay through the Penang Smart Parking (PSP) app. However, some cases involved motorists stopping briefly to pick up or drop off passengers, which the camera-based system could not differentiate. The council began using the ANPR system in April of the previous year, issuing about 7,000 compound notices per month.
H’ng Mooi Lye, state local government committee chairman, announced that all ANPR compound notices for parking outside designated bays would be cancelled, and those who had paid could claim a refund until September 30. The refund will be automatic for those who settled through the PSP app, paid into their PSP wallets. Those fined for parking without paying could appeal if they indeed paid within 10 minutes of the notice.
If the fine was paid, they could seek a refund. Paying for parking using the PSP system will continue as usual. The council officers will now carry out enforcement manually for vehicles parked outside designated bays, allowing them to use their discretion. Enforcement will continue against vehicles in "no parking" or "no stopping" areas, or those causing traffic obstruction.
The state suspended the ANPR system over the weekend following complaints, with Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow ordering both city councils to review the system. H’ng stated that the ANPR system itself is not being abandoned but will no longer issue compound notices automatically. He suggested the state might reconsider using ANPR in the future with safeguards, such as providing a 10-minute grace period and scanning vehicles twice before issuing a notice.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
