Latest news with #localbusinesses
Malay Mail
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
Packed bays, stalled trade: JB businesses suffer as Singapore-bound workers hog city parking from dawn to night
JOHOR BARU, June 20 – Parking woes in downtown Johor Baru have reportedly been made worse by Malaysians working in Singapore, who leave their vehicles in public bays before heading across the Causeway. The Straits Times reported that businesses such as kopitiams and sundry shops have struggled to retain customers who are unable to find parking, while enforcement officers regularly tow away vehicles parked illegally on the roadside. 'A task force has been set up to study the issue involving the two city councils,' state housing and local government exco Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor was quoted saying, referring to Johor Baru and Iskandar Puteri, in response to rise in complaints from residents and business owners about the matter. 'We are closely monitoring this issue that has been raised by fellow state assemblypersons and the local business community... where motorists hog parking bays all day till late at night, causing disruption to local businesses here as customers cannot find a lot to park their vehicles.' Local authorities have so far considered measures including parking time limits and increasing parking bays, along with collaborations with bus operators to reduce congestion. With over 350,000 people crossing the border daily, transit points such as Skudai and downtown Johor Baru often see full car parks, sometimes occupied by workers in rotating shifts. ST reported that even private parking lots are packed, with 80 per cent of lots near Galleria Kotaraya taken by Singapore-bound workers. Businesses can pay RM150 monthly to reserve customer spots — but other drivers still violate these spots. This has caused businesses to resort to 'reserving' spaces with their personal vehicles to carry out their trade, citing the impossibility of working without them. ST cited experts pointing to poor urban planning, car dependence, and lack of last-mile connectivity between housing areas and cross-border transit points as root causes. Low parking fees were also to blame: parking in the city costs as little as 40 sen per 30 minutes, while full-day passes are just RM6, and private bays priced at up to RM20 per day. Long-term solutions include a RM2.6 billion development near Bukit Chagar RTS station with a 1,550-lot park-and-ride facility, and a proposed light rail system linking townships to the cross-border train service set for 2027.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Football club fire 'a devastating blow'
A football club says it has suffered a "devastating blow" after a large amount of equipment was destroyed in a suspected arson attack. A bin was set on fire at Pen Mill Football Club in Yeovil, Somerset, on Tuesday night, with the blaze spreading to a neighbouring store room and changing rooms, police said. Neil Mapletoft, a coach at the club, said seeing the team's work "undermined by such a senseless act was heart-breaking". Avon and Somerset Police said officers had carried out a search of the local area but "found no trace" of the culprits. Nobody was hurt in the fire. "As an entirely volunteer-run organisation, our team works tirelessly to improve our facilities and provide opportunities for the local community. "With our tournaments just 10 days away, the timing couldn't be worse. "The affected rooms were filled with team kits, supplies, and equipment critical to both events," Mr Mapletoft said. More news stories for Somerset Listen to the latest news for Somerset Around 250 people are involved in the club, starting with children under the age of seven. The coach continued: "We've had a lot of support from local businesses and local teams, people that had been involved in the club. "They offered help with packing up and paying for new equipment, it's been really nice. We are very thankful for everyone who has offered their support." Avon and Somerset Police said officers were called to the scene by fire crews at around 22:00 BST on Tuesday. They now want to trace two males seen in the area at the time. The suspects are described as white, in their late teens or early 20s. One was in a grey tracksuit and the other was in a black and white tracksuit. Investigators are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have information. Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Fans 'disappointed' over stadium decision delay Avon and Somerset Police Pen Mill Football Club
BBC News
20 hours ago
- BBC News
Pen Mill Football Club says fire is 'devastating blow'
A football club says it has suffered a "devastating blow" after a large amount of equipment was destroyed in a suspected arson attack.A bin was set on fire at Pen Mill Football Club in Yeovil, Somerset, on Tuesday night, with the blaze spreading to a neighbouring store room and changing rooms, police Mapletoft, a coach at the club, said seeing the team's work "undermined by such a senseless act was heart-breaking".Avon and Somerset Police said officers had carried out a search of the local area but "found no trace" of the culprits. Nobody was hurt in the fire. "As an entirely volunteer-run organisation, our team works tirelessly to improve our facilities and provide opportunities for the local community."With our tournaments just 10 days away, the timing couldn't be worse. "The affected rooms were filled with team kits, supplies, and equipment critical to both events," Mr Mapletoft said. Around 250 people are involved in the club, starting with children under the age of coach continued: "We've had a lot of support from local businesses and local teams, people that had been involved in the club. "They offered help with packing up and paying for new equipment, it's been really nice. We are very thankful for everyone who has offered their support."Avon and Somerset Police said officers were called to the scene by fire crews at around 22:00 BST on now want to trace two males seen in the area at the suspects are described as white, in their late teens or early 20s. One was in a grey tracksuit and the other was in a black and white are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have information.
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado mountain town's trash changes cause big stink with residents, businesses
After some changes in trash accessibility in the town of Silverton, some local restaurant owners are fighting to have things changed back to how they used to be. It's that, or at least find a middle ground as trash responsibilities change and littering ramps up. CBS Silverton has removed its "camp dumper," which was outside of town on the way into the wilderness for campers to use for free. The town hoped to keep the national forest clean and provide a convenient spot for refuse. A social media post from the town garnered many outcries both from locals as well as folks who visit the beautiful mountain area. The post asserted that less trash cans would equal less trash. This led to people thinking cans were going to be removed from the busiest part of the tourist-fueled downtown. The receptacles are also now outfitted with serious bearproofing. "Despite popular rumors, the town has the same number of convenience cans that we've always had around town," Mayor Dayna Kranker told CBS Colorado. "We've placed them maybe in some different areas, put a few out by the library up on a popular walking trail." The town was unable to provide the previous location for the trash cans, and the new spots for the cans. but the town told CBS Colorado it has moved to the street corners, as well as other high use areas for the public to utilize. "We're trying something new this year, and people can give us feedback," Kranker said. "By having them sort of at every block, it might encourage folks to walk a little bit more to take the beverage that they just purchased to the next store and shop at that store." That's frustrating for Molly Noel-Barela, the owner of Golden Block Brewery, who said her block used to have four cans on it. Now two adorn the corners of the block, and no trash can sits out front her brewery anymore. Noel-Barela said people are starting to litter right in front of her location, as well as entering her business to ask to dispose of things that include dirty diapers in her restaurant. This is happening because people are either not seeing the other trash cans, or could not figure out how to open them thanks to the new bearproofing. "I'm all for having bearproof trash cans," Noel-Barela said. "But they've closed up the four sides that used to be able to insert trash from, from all four directions, and they have created a bear proof mechanism that has no handle, so people cannot figure out how to open it." "You have to stick your fingers in there, pull it back, and the door is so heavy that I'm afraid there's going to be a lawsuit with missing digits." Noel-Barela said she's already heard of two people getting their fingers pinched in the heavy hinging door of the trash cans. All of this, she said, leads to trash where it shouldn't be, which makes their beautiful town that relies on tourism to survive less appealing. "Keeping it clean is huge," Noel-Barela said. "It's pride in your community. It's pride in your business." Mayor Kranker said she's proud of the community's efforts to find a solution to what she said was a tragic problem made painfully clear last year. That was when a bear was shot with a beanbag round in an effort to haze it away from trash overflowing in a dumpster, which killed the bear and orphaned two cubs. She said removing the "camp dumpster," which was constantly overflowing with garbage helps in their mission to stop something like that from ever happening again. The dumpster was also costing the town $18,000 a season, which was eating into the town's $3,000,000 budget. "That's a decent expense for a solution that wasn't working because the trash wasn't staying in the dumpster," Mayor Kranker said. While she admits people haven't given up trying to throw trash where the dumpster used to be (volunteers were able to collect 37 bags of garbage from the area recently) she believes the free, overfilled dumpster was not only a danger to bears, but was being abused. "It was getting filled with furniture and larger items," Kranker said. "It was getting used on days that the transfer station was an open by residential trash and so it was really overflowing." Mayor Kranker said she is open to new ideas from residents and guests to find a solution and would encourage folks to meet up with her to discuss the issues they have in good faith to find a solution that fits everyone. Noel-Barela believes there needs to be some other solution to the problem aside from just removing the dumpster and leaving only the dumpster at the gas station in town as an option for campers looking to dispose of their waste responsibly. In the meantime, she said her own dumpster has started to fill more, as guests look for new places to put their trash. "The only other thing I can think of is that us as business owners really do have to start taking responsibility for all of this," Noel- Barela said. "And then, if so, I want it deduction\\\\\ on my bills because I don't mind putting a trash can here (out front of my brewery) that we have to take in every night, in order to keep the trash from being dumped on the street."
National Post
5 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Majority of GTA residents planning for staycations this summer, poll finds
A new poll from Silverware, an advanced hospitality technology company that examined GTA residents' summer plans, found 56% planned to staycation in Toronto with 43% citing the U.S. political climate and travel concerns as their main reason for wanting to stay put. Article content Other reasons for a staycation saw 35% saying they wanted to support local restaurants and businesses, 33% citing the high cost of living and 27% loving Toronto and wanting to explore more of it. Article content Article content Article content The poll said 43% of GTA residents cited Toronto's diverse restaurant scene as the top reason why Toronto is a great staycation destination and 29% said they planned to spend more time at local restaurants this summer than in previous years. Article content Article content When asked why Toronto makes a great staycation destination, 42% cited its arts scene, museums, and galleries, 41% cited nature, parks and the waterfront, 40% cited festivals and cultural events, 31% cited tourist attractions, 23% said the unique neighbourhoods, 14% said nightlife and entertainment, 12% said shopping and 5% said hotels and unique accommodations Article content 'With more GTA residents planning to vacation locally, restaurants and hospitality venues have an unprecedented opportunity to engage a highly motivated, hyper-local audience,' said Michael Thalassinos, Silverware's senior vice-president of enterprise sales, in a statement. Article content Article content 'Operators are responding by leaning into technology to meet evolving expectations — whether that's through social media for discoverability or implementing frictionless payments, mobile loyalty and curated experiences that reflect the neighbourhoods they serve. At Silverware, we're seeing our partners use tech not just to streamline operations, but to elevate the guest journey and turn a casual night out into a memorable staycation moment.' Article content Article content A whopping 81% of respondents agreed that Toronto is a good place for a staycation with nearly half of the respondents pointing to its culinary and arts scene, as well as its proximity to nature. Article content The study found 63% of Toronto residents planned to stay within the city, the highest of other regions in the GTA with Peel at 58%, York at 53%, Durham at 49% and Halton at 47%.
