You’ve been there. You walk back to your car, ready to head home after a long day, and some random Perodua Myvi has boxed you in. Hazard lights on, no driver in sight. You honk. You wait. You honk again. Five minutes later, someone casually strolls over, zero apology, and drives off like nothing happened.
Frustrating? Absolutely. But here’s the thing — before we throw all the blame at that Myvi driver, maybe we should ask: why are so many Malaysians double parking in the first place?
We Don’t Have Enough Parking. Full Stop.
Malaysia’s cities, especially Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Johor Bahru, were largely built around the car. More cars on the road meant more roads — but somehow, parking never quite kept up with the demand.
Take older commercial areas like Chow Kit, Masjid India, or parts of PJ Old Town. These are dense, busy, economically active neighbourhoods — but their parking infrastructure dates back decades. The shops multiplied. The population grew. The parking bays? Pretty much stayed the same.
So when someone double parks outside a kedai runcit at 7am to tapau breakfast, it’s not because they’re inconsiderate (well, sometimes they are). It’s often because there is genuinely nowhere else to go.
Public Transport Isn’t Filling the Gap Either
The obvious counter-argument is: just take the LRT. And look, for some trips, that works fine. But Malaysia’s public transport network, while improving, still has massive blind spots.
If you live in a suburban area not served by rail — think parts of Klang, Rawang, Cheras further out, or basically anywhere outside the Klang Valley — your realistic options are limited. Buses can be infrequent, and ride-hailing adds up fast if you’re doing it daily.
The car isn’t a lifestyle choice for a lot of Malaysians. It’s a necessity. And when your necessity has nowhere to park, double parking starts to feel less like rule-breaking and more like problem-solving.
So Why Isn’t It Being Fixed?
Here’s where it gets a bit uncomfortable. Local authorities know parking is a problem. It comes up in every town hall, every urban planning discussion. But fixing it properly is expensive, politically unsexy, and takes years to see results.
Enforcement, on the other hand, is easier — but even that’s inconsistent. You’ll get summoned in one street while the next road over is a free-for-all every single day. That kind of selective enforcement doesn’t change behaviour. It just makes people feel like the rules are arbitrary.
And when rules feel arbitrary, people stop following them.
What Could Actually Help?
The fix isn’t one thing — it’s a few things working together:
More structured short-stay parking in high-demand commercial areas, so people aren’t circling blocks looking for space. Better first-and-last-mile connectivity to public transport, because the LRT is only useful if you can actually get to the station. Smarter enforcement that’s consistent and visible, not just a blitz during festive seasons. And longer term, urban planning that stops treating parking as an afterthought.
None of this is revolutionary. Cities like Tokyo and Singapore have managed it — though yes, with far bigger budgets and different political contexts.
The Bottom Line
Double parking is a real problem. It blocks traffic, delays emergency vehicles, and stresses everyone out. But treating it purely as a discipline issue misses the point. When a city doesn’t give people adequate options, they improvise.
The Myvi blocking you in? Still annoying. But maybe the bigger frustration should be directed at the systems that made that situation almost inevitable.