No parking, please: Visitors wanting to take pictures have been parking haphazardly, irking local residents who want it to stop. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: A viral video on TikTok, which likened Stulang Laut here with Thailand’s Koh Samui, has irked residents as outsiders are parking their vehicles along a narrow road to take photos and videos of the seaside view.
Among the local residents is secondary school student Muhammad Farhad Mohd Ali Khan, 16, who said that from the time the video went viral on social media, there have been many people parking their vehicles along Jalan Perdana.
“Usually they will come during late evenings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday just to take photos of the view during sunset. On those days, there will be a long queue of cars and motorcycles waiting in line just to take photos.
“I have been living in the area since I was a baby and have been looking at the view, which overlooks Singapore, and it does not look anything like Koh Samui,” he said here on Friday.
Another resident, who only wanted to be known as Lee, 66, said that the presence of parked cars and motorcycles along the road made it difficult for residents to drive their cars.
“The road has become narrower as these vehicles, some of which are parked in the middle of the road, is becoming a nuisance,” he added.
The retiree said that for almost a week, the road has become busier than usual due to people stopping their vehicles to look and take photos of the view.
“Some of them come as far away as Kulai and Kota Tinggi just to enjoy the view. They like coming here because they can also see the ongoing construction of the Rapid Transit Link System (RTS) rail bridge linking with Singapore,” he added.
Lee said that once the RTS project is completed in a couple of years time, more people would come to Stulang Laut area often.
When contacted, Johor Baru mayor Datuk Mohd Noorazam Osman reminded those wanting to go to Stulang Laut not to park their vehicles indiscriminately.
He added that he was aware of the situation at Stulang Laut following the viral video on social media.
“They are more than welcome to enjoy the view at Stulang Laut but they should be more responsible in making sure that their vehicles do not block other road users or the residents path.
“They can use public parking areas that have been provided along Stulang Laut and avoid parking their vehicles in residential areas, which can cause problems,” he said.
Mohd Noorazam also said that the area was equipped with closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) that were linked to Johor Baru Integrated Operation Command Centre (JBIOCC).
“The Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) can monitor them and if they cause congestion or block people’s houses, we usually use speakers to ask the vehicle owners to remove their cars or motorcycles.
“However, if they are stubborn and do not want to remove their vehicles, then MBJB can do it for them as our tow truck is on standby 24-hours a day,” he said.
