19-05-2025
Revert to free parking at Foh Sang Parking Building - SAPP
SAPP Luyang CLC chairman Gee Tien Siong with former MPs for Gaya (Datuk Philip Yong, Datuk Liew Teck Chan, Datuk Yong Teck Lee), and current SAPP Api-Api CLC chairman Wong Vui Khim and other leaders, as well as Likas CLC chairman Chin Vui Kai at Foh Sang Parking Building.
KOTA KINABALU (May 19): Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) on Monday reiterated its stand that Kota Kinabalu City Hall should adopt the original concept of the multi-storey car park at Foh Sang instead of commercialising and disrupting the long-established businesses and local people's livelihood at Foh Sang and Bornion Centre in Luyang.
As envisaged by the team of experts led by the late senior consultant engineer Datuk Terence Chong Nyim Fatt, the original concept of the Foh Sang Parking Building was to provide free car parking and to provide municipal services such as collection of house and shop assessment rates, licensing matters and dog license application and renewal in a designated area. Instead, this area intended for public services has now been turned into a marketplace for hawkers.
This new facility and City Hall services would improve the entire Foh Sang and Bornion Centre environment, smoothen traffic flow, and add vibrancy to the area.
The late Chong, who at the time was the chairman of SAPP Api-Api Constituency Liaison Committee (CLC), had discussed this with the then Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council engineers and planners. That was in 1997-1998. However, after changes of government ministers and the Asian Financial Crisis of 1998, the project was put on hold. In the past, Foh Sang was part of the constituency of Api-Api (and Gaya parliamentary
constituency) before the Luyang constituency was created.
The car park is also supposed to house a police pondok (beat base) to replace the previous police pondok across the road.
In order to encourage off-street parking, the multi-storey car park was planned to be free of charge.
What has happened now is sadly an abrupt disruption to the livelihood and smooth conduct of businesses in the area.
The imposition of a higher parking rate and longer chargeable hours discourages usage, failing to attract vehicles off the street and thus not freeing up spaces for quick drop-offs in Foh Sang and Bornion Centre.
Therefore, the multistory car park objective to ease on-street traffic congestion as originally intended has been badly undermined.
Previously, residents and visitors could use the open-space car park, which included approximately 50 parking bays, free of charge during public holidays and after office hours. But now these parking bays have disappeared with the site's redevelopment.
Moreover, the building offers a new exclusive monthly pass at RM80, and doesn't accept the RM50 on-street monthly pass.
Additionally, enforcement actions have been stepped up to summon vehicles parked alongside roads.
SAPP, which initiated the successful annual Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn celebrations at Foh Sang ever since many years ago, on Monday reiterated that the original concept of free car parking at the multistory car park must be restored with immediate effect.
An operational police pondok at the multi-storey car park is also urgent because of a recent robbery against a fruit hawker last week. Never before had any robbery happened at Foh Sang hawkers stalls.
