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Penang has ordered both its local councils to suspend Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) parking enforcement with immediate effect.
Each of MBPP’s two ANPR patrol vehicles was reported to have issued an average of about 7,000 compounds a month since the system went live in April last year – nearly 170,000 compounds over its 15 months of operation, on that average alone.
The suspension came just hours after MBPP mayor Datuk A. Rajendran publicly defended the system in the face of criticism, especially the short time frame for payment before compounds were issued.
Rajendran said tests showed a one-minute grace period was sufficient for motorists to open the Penang Smart Parking app and pay.
However, by nightfall, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow had ordered the system to be halted.
What Was The Goal Of ANPR?
MBPP has pushed back on the idea that ANPR was ever about raising revenue.
The council has said the system doesn’t expand its enforcement powers or create new rules.
According to MBPPP, it simply verifies parking status faster and more accurately than an officer on foot, with every flagged vehicle still checked by a human before a compound is issued.
At roughly 14,000 compounds a month between the two vehicles, the system could have generated anywhere from roughly RM2.2 million to over RM6 million since its April 2025 launch – though MBPP has not disclosed an actual figure.
Chow said the call to suspend came after a Penang Pakatan Harapan leadership council meeting on Saturday, followed by a discussion with Penang DAP chairman Steven Sim and vice-chairman Zairil Khir Johari.
“The state government must continue to be sensitive and listen to the pulse of the people,” he said, adding that further measures would be announced soon.
Netizens Vindicated, Say ANPR A Wasted Effort
News of the suspension drew a largely critical reaction on Facebook.
One commenter questioned whether the relevant departments had done any proper study before rolling the system out at all or whether officials were simply too pleased with themselves to check.
Another took a more financial angle, asking how many millions had been spent developing the ANPR system in the first place, and whether that investment would now go to waste.
But not every response focused on blame.
One commenter redirected the conversation toward what they saw as the actual root problem: a shortage of parking space, not enforcement.
Councils, they argued, should be building more parking capacity rather than getting better at issuing summonses.
That complaint lands even as MBPP’s own numbers show parking bays have nearly doubled from about 11,000 a decade ago to 20,000 today.
READ MORE: Penang Council Thinks More Expensive Parking Equals Less Congestion, But Is That So?
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