FOR the past six months, Mr Ng Eng Gee, 46, has been taking pictures of vehicles parked illegally at a coffee shop located at Upper Aljunied Road.

Not because he's a police officer looking out for errant motorists, but simply because he's looking to get back at these motorists.

Here's why: By parking illegally, they are blocking a ramp that allows the wheelchair-bound man from getting onto the road.

So intent is he on his task that he appears up to three times a day at the coffee shop, mostly in the evening, snapping pictures.

Once he gets them, he calls the traffic police.

Said Mr Ng: 'Some of these cars even park on the pavement leading to the bus stop. They are very inconsiderate.'

Not everyone is supportive of Mr Ng's actions. Some residents in the area told The New Paper that Mr Ng should not be contacting the police each time he finds someone parked illegally.

They are so unhappy with him that they are starting to call him names, like 'little tyrant', and 'public nuisance'.

One resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tai, said: 'If he wasn't handicapped, he would have been beaten up by now.'

The stallholders at the coffee shop are not happy either.

Businesses affected

Ever since Mr Ng began his 'mission' in February, they claim that business has gone down by 20 to 30 per cent.Other businesses in the area claim they too have been affected.

'Nobody will want to stop here for dinner when they run the risk of having to pay $70 in fines for a single meal,' said a stallholder who wanted to be known only as Mr Neo. He sells fishball noodles at the coffee shop.

Some coffee shop patrons park illegally because the nearest car park is a few blocks away.

Deliverymen, who use the stretch of road to unload their supplies, are also unhappy.

One, Mr Seah Lak Tee, 50, alleged: 'We stop our vehicles for 15 minutes at most to unload our supplies, but he still calls the traffic police and gets us into trouble. It's unreasonable.

'We are a civil society. He needs to spare a thought for those of us trying to make a living.'

But Mr Ng insists he's doing nothing wrong.

'People shouldn't park illegally. Even if it's only for 15 minutes, they still obstruct the way,' he said.

The stallholders and residents alleged that Mr Ng often knocks into people and tables with his wheelchair.

'He used to cause scenes at the coffee shop. It only stopped when the lady boss befriended him and started to give him free food, ' claimed Mr Stephen Loo, 51, a businessman.

Student Wong Ren Khang, 15, who lives in the area, claimed he had been knocked into before.

'He hit my leg from behind, then went off without even apologising,' he said.

Mr Ng, however, vehemently denied the allegations, arguing that no such incidents ever occurred.

He said: 'If I knocked into them, I would have been sued already.'

Instead, he said he had been a victim himself on several occasions. Once, his wheelchair was locked with a bicycle chain, he claimed.

'I was waiting behind the bushes at the other side of the road to see if any cars would park illegally when I felt someone behind me.

'I tried to turn but couldn't and discovered that my wheels had been locked,' he claimed.

He then had to wait a few hours for the police to cut the bicycle chain before he could move, he said.

Mr Ng added that he had requested the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to build a walkway ramp from the coffee shop to the traffic light.

He said he had also requested bollards to be built to prevent illegal parking.

The New Paper contacted the LTA on Thursday, but it had not responded by press time.

Samuel Wee, newsroom intern

This article was first published in The New Paper.