Admitting that currently the city was not disabled-friendly, the council has taken the initiative to educate the public and at the same time, conduct stringent enforcement on those who misuse places or facilities designated for the disabled.

State Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman, Chow Kon Yeow said there were three phases involved in the effort, namely education, engineering and enforcement.

“We need to educate the people first, so that they can understand deeper but if education does not work, we are left with no choice but to take strict actions,” he said after launching the disabled-friendly awareness campaign in Beach Street, here, today.

From January until May this year, 243 offences of misusing disabled parking spots were reported, of which 40 vehicles were clamped and nine towed away by MBPP.

Currently, there are more than 50 designated parking spots in the city for the disabled and the council has promised to increase the number from time to time.

Meanwhile, Chow hoped the debate between Works, Public Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng and Gerakan secretary-general Liang Teck Meng would clear the public confusion on the feasibility study for the undersea tunnel and three expressways.

“I hope that after the debate, the people will understand why the state government wants to build the three roads and the tunnel, which is to solve the traffic congestion problem in the state,” he said.

– BERNAMA