Following the decision to suspend the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system used for issuing parking compounds, the Penang state government has cancelled 29,240 parking compounds issued by the system for parking outside designated bays
According to state local government committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye, the compounds, which were issued by the Penang island city council (MBPP) from 2025 and up to August this year, would be cancelled. He said that motorists who had paid could apply for refunds until September 30, with RM266,160 set to be refunded.
Refunds for compounds paid through the Penang Smart Parking application would be credited automatically to users’ wallets, while those who had paid through kiosks or other channels would need to submit the required documents to the respective local authorities to process their claims, the New Straits Times reports.
He added that motorists who had received compounds for failing to pay parking charges could also appeal for cancellation if they had made payment within 10 minutes of the compound being issued.
H’ng said the decision was made after authorities took note of public concerns over the system’s inability to determine whether a vehicle was parked illegally or had briefly stopped to pick up or drop off passengers.
As such, enforcement against vehicles parked outside designated bays would now be carried out manually by enforcement officers, based on the actual conditions at the location. Action will continue to be taken against vehicles parked in no-parking areas or those causing an obstruction.
While the ANPR system has been suspended and a review of it has been called for, H’ng said the move did not mean the use of ANPR itself had been scrapped. He said any future use of ANPR for parking enforcement would have to take into account conditions on the ground, particularly on Penang island, where narrower roads mean motorists may need to stop briefly to pick up or drop off passengers.
He said the state government was considering measures such as introducing a 10-minute buffer period or conducting multiple scans of a vehicle before an automated compound can be issued.
is MBPP now allow for a grace period of 10mins to pay parking fees ?
is it that MBPP now set 10mins grace period to pay parking fee ?
is it that MBPP now sets 10mins grace period to pay parking fees ?
And there’s company still wanting to use ANPR for MLFF.
2 different thing
I am sure the town council were also told that the system was different when they adopt it.
parking and toll are different
You did wrong and the rakyat has to submit the required documents to the respective local authorities to process their claims? Imagine the compound is only RM10 or 20 and yet we have to spend the extra time to gather the docs and then go the local authorities (read: long que) to get refund? What a stupid dumb solution. And now the investment on the ANPR gadget becomes a white elephant? Yes, you said it will be used for future projects but this means the returns on the investment becomes not immediate. Where is the accountability? Who is responsible? Bodoh
Honestly, with how complex George Town streets are and how some of the parking boxes aren’t clearly marked or the lines have faded away, this system is bound to produce a lot of false positive hits. The raised parking rates were already incredibly unpopular, and now they’re trying to antagonize the stingy Penang-lang more… DAP got death wish? lol
Actually why not use ANPR for crime deterrent and detection instead of lamely using it for catch traffic/parking offenders? It can be used to catch criminals plotting a crime using fake number plates. The ANPR system is integrated into JPJ database making it easy to detect fake plates or even clone plates.
Another good use case is to detect and impound vehicles with no valid insurance (and/or roadtax). There’s absolutely no reason a vehicle should be on the road without a valid insurance (I’m least concerned about roadtax).