JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA - Fed-up with the rampant practice of haphazard parking, the city council here wants to employ a "clamp and shame" approach.

It is looking into the possibility of using a clamping device that allows the car to move but is designed to embarrass the errant driver.

The driver can only get the clamp off after paying a fine.

Johor Baru mayor Mohd Jaffar Awang said issuing summonses to motorists had not been good enough.

He said the city wanted to adopt the clamp method as it had not been able to collect millions of ringgit in parking fines.

From 2008, some 878,394 parking summonses totalling RM26.4 million (S$10.9 million) were issued.

However, only RM3.5 million were collected despite discounts of up to 50%.

Mohd Jaffar said indiscriminate parking was a big problem leading to traffic snarls.

He added that the council did not plan to re-introduce private towing.

The council took over towing from a private company three years ago following many complaints.

Mohd Jaffar said his main focus in his first three months in office would be to clear the city of garbage, keep drains clean and maintain the landscape.

He said he encouraged the public to give him their feedback on the council's services.

The mayor can be reached at 07-228 2600 or hotline 1-300-88-0146 (between 8.30am and 4.30pm).

--The Star/ANN