Not right to ask visitors to pay for access stickers

Tuesday February 16, 2010

Not right to ask visitors to pay for access stickers

I AM a mother of a five-year-old boy who has just started kindergarten this year. The kindergarten is located in one of the housing areas in Bandar Sri Damansara.
As expected, this housing area has its own security guards situated at the only entrance of the area. I suppose the residents are paying monthly fees in order to have two men stand guard over the entrance as well as patrol the area from time to time.
Considering the rising crime rate and the concern the residents might have for their safety, I do understand the need for the security services.
But much to my surprise, the residents association has recently proposed for the parents of my son’s kindergarten to pay for the car access stickers, too.
The reason given was that the security guards would like to have a more stringent control over the access to the housing area. Frequent visitors must have the access stickers on their cars to be allowed to enter the area. Another reason they gave was that the housing area does not have many houses, hence the funds for the security services is insufficient.
Although the car access stickers do not cost a lot, I find this idea of having frequent visitors paying for the access stickers totally absurd. I wonder if any other housing areas are doing the same.
I am sure in Petaling Jaya alone, each housing area has at least one to two kindergartens, nurseries, music schools and tuition classes.
If I have a few children who attend classes at these places, then imagine how many stickers my car must have.

Concerned Mother,
Bandar Sri Damansara