CHERAS – The road safety aspects at the Sg Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) exit are under scrutiny once again as experts have expressed disapproval of the access towards the Cheras-Kajang Highway.
In a Twitter post after conducting a road safety audit at the SUKE Exit 701 last week, a road safety expert has called for SUKE concessionaire Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) and the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) to immediately rectify the situation at the junction of Taman Cuepacs/PGA and Jalan Cheras.
“This is a BAD example of pedestrian crossing. Please rectify this @mySUKEofficial at Exit 701 @LLMrasmi @MOWorks,” said a tweet by road engineering expert Muhammad Marizwan Abdul Manan.
An image attached to the December 13 tweet showed a Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) team member conducting an inspection recently at the exit ramp with a clear view of a concrete barrier obstructing pedestrian access.
The Vibes contacted Marizwan for clarification and he pointed to the flawed design of the expressway’s exit.
“That place (exit) has many faults. One aspect is that a pedestrian needs to cross over the concrete barrier. There shouldn’t be any obstruction in the first place,” said the Miros Road Safety Engineering and Environment Research Centre director.
It is learned that the team had conducted a similar inspection in April last year of a stretch of road heading towards the Grand Saga toll plaza while it was under construction together with the highway contractors and various road authorities after receiving complaints from nearby residents.
“They (SUKE operator) should not have constructed it (the concrete barrier) for that particular access,” said Marizwan, adding that the engineers should have conducted a thorough safety audit before the expressway was opened.
“Last year, we put forward several recommendations for rectification and obviously from our site visit last week, our input back then didn’t come to fruition,” the road engineering expert pointed out.
The issue did not go away as the locals again sought help from Miros in view of several crashes that occurred at the Taman Cuepacs/PGA and Jalan Cheras exit since the opening of SUKE three months ago.
“Time and again, they relayed their deep concern and asked us to look at it from the road safety investigation and audit point of view,” he added.
He also confirmed that a report by the Miros team will be submitted to the residents as well as the Kajang Municipal Council soon.
Meanwhile, former Miros chairman Datuk Suret Singh has expressed dissatisfaction and demanded action over the poor quality of the access road.
“Those responsible for this shoddy job need to be reprimanded. Unbelievable,” he said in a Twitter post.
The Vibes is seeking clarification from the MHA and Prolintas at press time.
The Exit 701 was the subject of unhappiness among netizens in the few weeks after the expressway’s opening.
In September, The Vibes reported that netizens took to Twitter and Facebook to express annoyance and despair with the design of the exit ramp heading towards the Cheras-Kajang Highway.
Many had criticised the lack of free flow traffic and expressed surprise that the single-lane elevated ramp exit ends with traffic lights.
Some have described the design of the SUKE exit as “unrealistic”, citing the lack of direct access to the Cheras-Kajang Highway. – The Vibes, December 21, 2022
