I REFER to the Penang island mayor’s statement that from May 1, illegally parked vehicles will be towed away, as reported in StarMetro on April 16.

It is lack of parking spaces that compel people to park illegally, in desperation after having gone round in circles.

The city council should prioritise increasing parking spaces instead of punishing harassed motorists.

For example, the parking space opposite Bangunan Persekutuan and Penang Port could be converted into a four-storey parking lot.

Along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, there is an abandoned struc­ture with a huge compound that has been vacant for years.

The city council should contact the owners, lease the space and turn it into a carpark.

I estimate that about 100 cars could be accommodated there.

Both sites are in the vicinity of the heritage enclave and using those spaces would alleviate parking woes to some extent.

In the past, the left side of Lebuh Campbell near Hamee­diyah Restaurant was turned into a broad walkway. Traffic was light back then.

This walkway should be removed to enable parking on both sides.

As for pedestrians, the five-foot way along the shops should be cleared of all illegal obstructions and returned to its original purpose.

It could be converted into a covered walk way for pedestrians.

Due to the lack of enforcement, shops have en­­croached onto it.

A holistic approach is needed to tackle Penang’s parking issues.

Datuk Ajit Singh Jessy

Tanjung Bungah