PUCHONG is almost synonymous with traffic jams, and it seems that this situation is not going to change in the near future.
The township also has a few toll gates, putting extra burden on Puchong residents who make a living outside of Puchong.
In July this year, StarMetro highlighted the alternative routes that could be used by motorists to avoid the traffic congestion, and two of the routes are also toll-free.
No let-up: There is always a bumper-to-bumper crawl on the LDP towards Puchong. Over these few months, development along the Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP) is also slowly taking shape.
The ongoing development includes IOI Boulevard, 1 Puchong Business Park, IOI Mall extension and new shoplots next to IOI Mall in Bandar Puchong Jaya, Setia Walk in Pusat Bandar Puchong and Puchong Financial Corporate Centre in Bandar Puteri Puchong.
While the influx of businesses contributes to economic growth in the township, one shudders to think about the possible traffic problems.
In a recent interview, Litrak communications department head Bhavani Krishna Iyer provided a solution to alleviate traffic congestion.
Litrak proposed building two flyovers – one on LDP (coming from Putrajaya direction) going into Persiaran Puchong Jaya Selatan and another on Lebuhraya Puchong-Sungai Besi (heading towards Bukit Jalil) going into Persiaran Puchong Jaya Selatan.
“The former would take away the traffic from congesting the underbridge U-turn at the junction of Jalan Puchong and Lebuhraya Puchong-Sungai Besi, while the latter would ease the jam on LDP in front of IOI Mall,” she said.
Nonetheless, it remains a question as to who is responsible for funding and building the said flyovers. “The developer should bear the costs as the flyovers are going into its developments,” Bhavani said.
She added that Litrak welcomes meeting with the developers to find ways to alleviate the congestion.
The developers, when contacted, said their projects have the necessary approvals from the local authority. One of them said a traffic study had been conducted when they applied for approval from the Subang Jaya Municipal Council to start with the project.
Another said the developments were according to the approved plot ratio, which is relatively low in comparison to other high plot ratio areas in the Klang Valley.
Former Kinrara assemblyman Dr Kow Cheong Wei said one possible solution to ease the traffic congestion is to tackle the insufficient parking lots issue in the development, which incidentally, is also another woe faced by Puchong residents.
“With enough parking lots, the number of vehicles on the road looking for a parking bay would be less and this could help ease the congestion problem,” he said.
Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, on the other hand, recently announced that he would form an anti-toll campaign.
“We will wait until January 1, 2009, for the Government to make the concession agreements public and then discuss how to lower the toll rates or do away with the tolls,” he said.
He urged the Puchong residents to come forward and voice out their disagreement over the existence of the tolls through the campaign.
“I would also consider taking the case to the court, if the need arises,” he said.
He said he would also look into opening up alternative toll-free routes to provide access for the Puchong people to get to different places.
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Two potholes patched up
By LIM CHIA YING
ONLY two of the numerous potholes along roads at Bandar Kinrara 1/1, Puchong have been patched up following Star Metro’s report last Saturday.,
Resident K. Ganesan, who was among those who had complained about the potholes, said despite the article, the main road leading to the Sri Maha Mariamman Indian temple was still unrepaired, and the potholes continued to be filled with muddy water.
“After the report came out, only two potholes were patched up — the one where the wooden planks were placed to warn unwary motorists, and another along the road leading to the army camp.
“Heavy vehicles are still plying our road and with the rain nowadays, the condition of the road will only get worse.
“We thank the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) for coming to repair some of the holes but there are still quite a number of them not attended yet. Why is this so?” he asked.
Patched up: A heavy vehicle passing one of the potholes (darkened patch) that had been patched up. Planks had been placed there to warn unwary motorists of the pothole’s existence before it was repaired. The main road leading to the vicinity of the temple is of major concern to the residents as many motorcyclists use the road to go to the temple or out to the Bukit Jalil highway.
“The downpour on Sunday night also caused the road to be flooded as the drainage system is said to be clogged and unable to channel the water out.
“Moreover, the road here is dark at night. How can motorcyclists spot the holes and avoid them when water inundates the road?” said Ganesan.
The MPSJ had said a contractor had been appointed to resurface the road. The residents now hope that the council will monitor the contractor more closely to ensure that the job is carried out properly.
“The residents’ safety should not be compromised,” they pleaded.
It is about time contractors hired by the council carry out the services required properly for which they are paid. And they should buck up on their worksmanship.
