KUALA LUMPUR: The government must review the current housing policy and guidelines for parking space allocation to ensure enough spaces and avoid illegally parked cars obstructing emergency calls, experts say.
This comes after a report of parked vehicles belonging to residents, on the roadside near the Sri Sabah flats, here in Cheras, had hindered the fire and rescue team from extinguishing the fire at Block 70 yesterday.
Universiti Malaya urban and regional planning expert Dr Noor Hashimah Hashim Lim said the universal housing guideline provided one parking space per housing unit.
However, she said, the space provided was considered insufficient due to the residents owning multiple vehicles per household, leaving them no choice but to park illegally.
"While our universal housing guideline provides for one parking space per housing unit, in reality, every household owns at least two cars per family and sometimes more.
"The National Affordable Housing Policy also allocates for one parking space per housing unit of less than 1000 square feet (sq ft).
"Only housing units of more than 1000 sq ft can be allocated with two parking spaces. But the majority of flats in our country are less than 1000 sqft.
"Hence, the residents have no choice but to double park," she told the New Straits Times.
Noor Hashimah said much-needed improvements in transport infrastructures could also help the government's effort to achieve sustainability goals by encouraging less usage of private vehicles.
"I understand that we want to support the goal of sustainability, where we use fewer cars.
"I also understand that we want to achieve a 50:50 ratio (public vs private vehicle usage) - now we are at about 20:80; where all this can reduce carbon emissions and reduce urban heat island.
"However, providing less parking space in the hopes that it discourages private vehicle ownership and usage, needs to be supported and supplemented by really good infrastructure."
Meanwhile, University Putra Malaysia's Urban and Regional Planning, Security, and Community Development expert Dr Mohammad Mujaheed Hassan said the guideline must take into consideration the growing numbers of residents and households.
"Nowadays, it's common for each housing unit to need at least two designated parking spots.
"This means that when people live in apartments or houses, they usually expect to have space for two cars. This is because most families have more than one vehicle or need extra parking for visitors.
"Having enough parking spaces helps prevent problems like cars blocking emergency access or overcrowded streets, which can be a safety hazard.
"So, I believe it's important to follow or even exceed this standard to ensure everyone has enough space to park their vehicles safely.
"But it must be cleared that Flat Sri Sabah, Cheras is considered a low-cost flat which does not come with the requirement of one to one unit to designated car parks," he said.
He said the construction of multistorey car parks could be a viable solution given the high density in the area and the limited space for on-street parking.
"Multistorey car parks can efficiently utilise vertical space, providing more parking capacity without occupying valuable land or obstructing emergency access routes.
"The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) should conduct feasibility studies to identify suitable locations for multistorey car parks and assess the parking demand to ensure adequate provision for residents.
"The obstruction caused by parked vehicles near the flats underscores the importance of ensuring adequate access to emergency services in residential areas.
"While it's essential for residents to have parking spaces, it shouldn't compromise the safety and accessibility for emergency responders."
He added that DBKL should collaborate with relevant agencies to enforce parking regulations effectively.