Penang Pauses Automated Parking Cameras After Public Complaints

The leader of Penang, a state in Malaysia, has ordered two city councils to stop using special cameras that automatically read car license plates to catch parking violations. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow made the announcement on August 8, 2025, after many residents complained that the system was unfair. People said they were being fined before they even had a chance to pay for parking. The chief minister wants the system reviewed to make sure it actually helps the people of Penang.

The cameras are part of a system called Automated Number Plate Recognition, or ANPR. Patrol vehicles equipped with these cameras drive around parking areas and scan the license plates of parked cars. The system then checks whether a driver has paid for parking. If no payment is found, an enforcement officer in the vehicle reviews the case and can issue a fine.

The Penang Island City Council, known as MBPP, runs two of these patrol vehicles. Each vehicle can issue around 7,000 fines per month. The council's mayor, A. Rajendran, defended the system by saying that tests showed drivers had at least one minute to open the Penang Smart Parking app and pay before a fine was given.

Many residents disagreed with the mayor's explanation. They felt that one minute was not enough time to take out a phone, open an app, and complete a payment. A local politician from the MCA party, Tan Teik Cheng, also questioned the short grace period. He argued that technology should make life easier for people, not just make it faster to hand out fines.

Chief Minister Chow said he discussed the issue with other leaders after a party meeting on August 8. He also had a casual coffee meeting with two other officials, where they talked about problems affecting people's daily lives, including financial pressures many families are facing. Together, they agreed that the state government needed to listen more carefully to what residents were saying.

The ANPR system was first introduced in 2025 to improve how parking was managed across the city. Officials said the technology would reduce human mistakes and make enforcement more efficient. The number of city-managed parking spaces had grown from about 11,000 a decade ago to around 20,000 today, making it harder to check every spot manually.

Chow said his government would announce specific changes to the system soon. He stressed that the most important thing was to make sure every policy truly benefits the people. The suspension will remain in place while the review is carried out.