Cars are parked illegally along Jalan Raja Ashman Shah just outside Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh. — Photos: RONNIE CHIN/The Star
Visitors endure parking hassle while talks ongoing for new multistorey facility
THE lack of parking bays around Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun in Ipoh, Perak, continues to be a pain for visitors.
With no end in sight to the issue, visitors often park their vehicles along the main road and this results in some motorists getting slapped with a summons by the local authorities.
Limited options
Chok Kam Kiew, 58, who visits the hospital regularly, said there was a dire need for more parking spaces in the hospital’s vicinity.
“A larger parking area on hospital grounds will ease the burden on patients and visitors alike, as the carpark here is often full.
“Right now, many visitors park outside the hospital and have to walk a distance, which is a struggle for some patients.
“So, many park along the road just outside the hospital as it is more convenient,” he said.
Chok says a larger carpark on hospital grounds will help patients and visitors alike.
Another visitor, who wanted to be known only as Fazlan, said it was inconvenient for people to park their cars far outside the hospital.
“The carpark opposite the Greentown health clinic is not nearby.
“Not everyone who goes to the hospital is healthy and some patients may need to use a wheelchair.
“Some also have to bring infants and toddlers to the hospital, so it’s quite inconvenient to park near the health clinic.
“It is more convenient to park just outside the hospital, even though it is illegal,” he added.
Fazlan added that around noon, the road would get congested with cars as parents pick up their children from two school located opposite the hospital.
“The carpark near the health clinic isn’t helping much because it is always full,” he said.
A patient, known only as Deva, 55, said visitors who double- parked along the road were also a nuisance.
“Those who double-park make it hard for others to drive into the hospital grounds.
“The carpark opposite the health clinic has limited bays and is open to the public so it is usually hard to find a parking spot,” he added.
Deva said he has seen summonses being issued to motorists for double-parking or parking near the entrance to the hospital.
“Because of this, I prefer to ride my motorcycle to the hospital,” he added.
Security guard Rosli Ahmad, 49, echoed the same sentiment, saying, “Many have no choice but to park along the road outside the hospital.”
In April 2022, StarMetro reported that the Perak government was looking into a few possible solutions to the parking issue at the hospital.
Some of the ideas were to build a multistorey carpark and provide additional parking nearby in the meantime.
A recent check by StarMetro revealed that the carpark opposite the health clinic, about 650m away from the hospital, was full.
The carpark, which can accommodate about 240 cars, is split into two sections, with one for hospital staff and the other for visitors.
Within the hospital grounds, there are nearly 1,200 parking bays but half of them are allocated to staff, while another parking area behind the Muhibbuddin Shah Mosque nearby can accommodate about 110 cars.
Another alternative is the carpark at Velodrome Rakyat, located about 1.6km away.
Alternative parking
According to Kamarudin Hamir, 61, a guard for the carpark opposite Greentown health clinic, all the parking bays would often be taken up.
“People often have to wait to park here,” he said.
He added that not many were aware that parking there was also free.
“Some do not park here because they think they have to pay while others don’t want to walk from here to the hospital,” said Kamarudin.
StarMetro report on April 29, 2022.
Aminah Rahman, 40, a caretaker of the Velodrome Rakyat carpark, said most people were not aware that the place was open to hospital visitors.
“There is a free shuttle service to and from the hospital, about one each hour, from Velodrome Rakyat,” she said, adding that only about six cars were parked there each day currently.
“I also get people asking me why they cannot park at the hospital grounds and I would usually just tell them that there is plenty of space for everyone here,” she added.
Retiree Mohd Noor Abd Manas, 54, said he was unaware that the Velodrome Rakyat carpark was open to the public.
“I’ve never parked there before.
Visitors say the carpark at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun is always full.
“And to be frank, it is quite far and a hassle even with the shuttle service as I wouldn’t know what time the bus will arrive,” he said.
Likewise, farmer R. Pavithran, 28, was in the dark about the parking at Velodrome Rakyat.
“I hope the authorities will promote it more as many are unaware.
“Had I known about it and the schedule of the shuttle service, I would definitely park there,” he added.
Authorities’ response
When contacted, an Ipoh City Council (MBI) spokesperson said it had added as many parking bays as it could in the hospital’s vicinity.
“We have already added more than 100 parking bays (on Jalan Fifth Avenue) behind the hospital.
“And most of the land there belongs to the hospital, so building a multilevel carpark is not under our purview.
“As for action to be taken against vehicles parked along the roads (near the hospital and health clinic), both the police and our enforcement team will issue compounds,” he added.
Perak health committee chairman A. Sivanesan said the police allowed visitors to park their cars on both sides of Jalan Raja Ashman Shah near the hospital.
“I understand that the police will not issue summonses unless vehicles are double-parked or cause traffic disruption,” he said, adding that about 60 cars could be parked by the roadside outside the hospital.
The Velodrome Rakyat carpark is 1.6km away from the hospital.
On the construction of a multistorey carpark, Sivanesan said discussions were still ongoing with the Health Ministry.
“The carpark opposite Greentown health clinic was supposed to be the location for the multistorey carpark.
“Talks are still ongoing with some investors.
“The initial plan was to have a building that can accommodate about 360 cars, with about 40% reserved for hospital employees,” he said.
The proposal to build a multilevel carpark was mooted by the Perak government in 2022.
When met by reporters after a working visit to the Chemor health clinic in February this year, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zulkefly Ahmad had said that discussion was ongoing.
Sivanesan hoped that more visitors would consider parking at Velodrome Rakyat.
“I understand that people just want to park near the hospital and are reluctant to park at the velodrome even if shuttle service is provided,” he added.
