Featured image adapted from Facebook.
Finding a parking space is a common issue when visiting popular and crowded destinations. Sometimes, folks get desperate enough to shamelessly chope a spot by temporarily parking themselves there.
On Saturday (16 Jul), a Facebook user in Malaysia posted a video of a woman standing in a vacant parking space to claim it for herself.
Apparently deciding that it was a good idea to involve her child, she even had a baby stroller with her.
However, OP believes that they had the right to the parking space as they had arrived before the woman’s car.
An argument then ensued between the two parties.
The clip, which OP shared on a Kuala Lumpur Facebook group, shows a woman in a Cookie Monster shirt standing in a vacant parking space to ‘book’ the spot.
Alarmingly, she was holding on to a baby stroller with her child apparently inside it.
Source: Facebook
While OP did not specify the location, netizens speculate that it was at Mid Valley Megamall.
This is based on the interior of the car park as well as a photo in the comments showing the AEON BiG supermarket in the background.
Source: Facebook
The video starts with OP confronting the woman, saying that she isn’t allowed to book a parking spot just by standing there like that.
They then get into an argument about who got there first. The woman says that her car is already on its way to the space, but OP points out that her vehicle is already there.
Source: Facebook
Still, the woman refused to move even though OP’s car was already backed halfway into the stall.
Not long after, the woman’s husband finally drove up in their car.
Source: Facebook
While many commenters slammed the woman for her actions, several told OP that she should’ve just given up the lot since the woman had a kid.
However, OP explained that there was also an elderly person in her car.
In the end, OP decided to give up the lot since the woman with the stroller continued to stand her ground, Hype Malaysia reports.
As it turns out, the woman’s way of choping a parking space like that is actually illegal under Malaysian law.
Section 50(3) of the Road Transport Act states that “unlawful interference and importuning” to get a parking space is a criminal offence.
According to a Facebook post by the Royal Malaysia Police, those who stand in a parking spot to reserve it could face a fine of up to S$620 (RM2,000) or six months in jail.
What’s more, as motorists don’t usually expect someone to be standing in the middle of a parking spot, the woman’s actions could have easily put her child and herself in danger.
Similarly, here in Singapore, the Parking Places Act notes that “no person shall obstruct or cause any obstruction to a parking place or any parking lot with any vehicle, material or object”.
Unfortunately, that certainly hasn’t seemed to deter selfish individuals from doing such things anyway.
It can be easy to feel helpless when you’re unable to find a proper spot to leave your vehicle, especially when you’re in a hurry.
However, no matter how dire the parking situation is, getting someone to stand in a lot to chope it is dangerous.
What’s more, doing so could potentially land you in trouble with the law — a price that doesn’t seem worth paying for one tiny parking space.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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