Can you park at reserved roadside parking bay after business hours?

Vacant roadside parking is very difficult to be found nowadays. Sometimes when you are able to find a vacant one, the parking bay is marked in red paint instead of yellow or white, indicating that it is a rented as reserved parking space by the city council to possibly the shop right in front of the bay.

If you arrived there after business hours (early in the morning or late at night), or during weekends or public holidays, you might wonder can you park your car at that "reserved" parking bay as legally allowed by the city council?

The answer is YES because the reserved parking bays are rented during specific working hours only, and is free for any car parking outside the rental hours.

The reserved parking time slot of those parking bays marked in red paint is usually following the same time slot which the city council is collecting parking fee for the other roadside parking bays.

For Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the reserved time is from 7.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Saturday, except public holidays.

For Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), the reserved time is from 8.00am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

For Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ), the reserved time is from 8.00am to 10.00pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays. However, MBSJ is also renting out a kind of reserved parking at higher rental price, which include reserved time during weekends and public holidays.

Normally, when you see the shop in front of the reserved parking bay is closed, and the time is outside the reserved hours, it is safe for you to park at that parking lot.

Anybody who illegally blocking a public parking bay, including those "reserved" parking bays outside their rental hours, is an act against the law and can be fined for penalty by the city council.

Anyhow, if there is any argument, normal citizens should not take the law into your own hands, and should report the case to the city council instead.