A much anticipated Christmas present in the form of a RM5 million multi-storey car park for residents at the foot of Penang Hill and visitors to the Penang Hill Railway Station in Air Itam here is still far from being realised.

The 120-bay car park, which the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) was entrusted as the implementating agency by the Ministry of Tourism, is still not open for business as the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) refused to grant an occupational certificate (OC) because the building failed to comply with its building requirements.

The car park's failure to start operations has created a parking nightmare for many, especially for residents living close to the Penang Hill Railway Station and holiday-makers to the hill resort.

One of the residents at the foot of Penang Hill, Tye Lee Kong, 60, said many vehicles were often parked outside the gate of his house almost daily, some even blocking his way when parked haphazardly.

The businessman said such daily occurrences arose because of the lack of adequate parking facilities in the high-traffic tourist area.

"If the multi-storey car park were to be opened, I am sure it will help alleviate parking woes in the area," he told Bernama when met at his house recently.

It has been reported that a new 300-bay car park costing between RM5.5 million and RM6.75 million will be built to replace the flawed car park.

The car park was part of the Tourism Ministry’s Penang Hill funicular train upgrading project costing RM73 million in all, which includes changing the rail tracks, having two Swiss-made air-conditioned coaches and construction of the base station.

Tye, who has lived in the Air Itam area for the past 40 years, felt that public funds had gone to waste with the unsound car park still not being opened.

Inoperable car park to be demolished

With talk that the inoperable car park would be demolished and rebuilt, he said the proposal would also be a sheer waste of money and did not reflect the philosophy of ‘Competency, Accountability and Transparency’ (CAT) espoused by the Penang state government.

Other than the residents, taxi drivers in the area are also in a dilemma. Koay Ah Yong, 66, a member of the Taxi Drivers Association of Penang Hill, said taxi drivers here had to compete with other motorists to park on a strip of land that can accommodate six cars although there were signs to show that it was only meant for taxis.

He is also perplexed as to how the state authorities had allowed such a fiasco to happen when there is so much emphasis on CAT.

In the meantime, there is inactivity at the dysfunctional car park amidst the chaotic traffic snarls along Jalan Bukit Bendera near the entrance to the railway station, especially on weekends and public holidays.

- Bernama