BY SHALINI RAVINDRAN

Booked spots: A restaurant along Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7 blatantly disregards the law by placing their tables and chairs on the road at night.

FOR the past four years, residents living near Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7 in Taman Tun Dr Ismail have had to endure loud music blasting into the wee hours of the night and car bays being hogged.

The culprit is a restaurant that places tables and chairs outside its premises every night.

Long-time resident Hillary Fredericks, 60, said the problem usually started from about 10pm.

“From 5pm onwards, they would ‘book’ the parking spots using tables and chairs and once the crowd starts coming in, most of the parking bays would have been taken up.

“They play music loudly and the din from the customers can stretch until 2am on weekends.

“What is worse is that this is a narrow one-way street.

“It is extremely dangerous as motorists who are not aware could veer into the customers if they take the corner a bit too fast,” he said.

Resident Allan Fiddler said it was very inconvenient with so many parking spaces taken up by the cafe.

“There are many restaurants in the area and it is difficult to find a parking bay if you are headed to one.

“The patrons for these places end up double-parking and encroaching into the residential areas,” said Fiddler.

“Despite many complaints, the restaurant is still operating as usual.

“The owners should be made to either adhere to the rules or move away,” he added.

Another resident, who only wanted to be known as Tan, 34, said it was a hassle to navigate in the area.

“With the tables and chairs taking up the parking spots, the customers end up parking on the opposite side of the road, which encroaches into the street,” he said.

City Hall Licensing and Hawker Management Department director Mustaffa Md Nor said the local authority would conduct checks on the restaurant.

“The restaurant has been served multiple compound notices over the past four years but the owners have paid off the fines,” said Mustaffa.

“We will monitor the situation and take the necessary action.”