KUALA LUMPUR – Kg Muhibbah residents are at their wits’ end as their pleas for solutions to haphazard parking, sanitation and general safety have largely been ignored by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
One of the traffic issues they face involves a four-way intersection between PPR Kg Muhibbah Phase 1, the Muhibbah community complex and the more affluent Parklane residential and commercial development areas.
Long-time Kg Muhibbah resident Noreffendi Darus, 50, expressed concern that the four-way intersection posed a safety risk not just to motorists but also to pedestrians heading to the community complex – which houses a senior citizen activity centre, a clinic, a library and a community hall.
Apart from senior citizens and patients, schoolchildren also use the intersection daily to get to a designated bus stop in front of the community complex.
The road connecting the bridge and the intersection lacks a speed bump, much less a traffic light or pedestrian crossing, so there are always cars speeding in the area.”
He added that there have been no serious accidents, but residents are concerned over the possibility of fatal ones.
He said the Kg Muhibbah PPR Phase 1 resident association (RA) sent letters to DBKL requesting a traffic system to be set up at the intersection, but to no avail.
Kg Muhibbah PPR Phase 1 is also adjacent to the Muhibbah LRT station, posing another headache to residents who are struggling with the lack of parking space even in their own housing area.
The issue is exacerbated as LRT commuters often park in the PPR area, taking away much-needed parking real estate from residents.
To make matters worse, residents have no choice but to park elsewhere, usually along Jalan 4/155 in Bukit OUG, but often collect all DBKL and traffic police summonses in one day.
“It is a case of double jeopardy for the residents. DBKL will come and issue summonses in the morning and traffic police a bit later in the afternoon.
Despite pleading with both parties, they said we still have to pay the fines. Whatever we do, we can’t win,” said resident Abdul Safar Awang Ngah, 56.
Phase 1 consists of four low-cost blocks with 316 units and an average of 1,000 residents per block.
“The parking here is on a first come, first served basis for the residents…not the entire population of KL,” he said in jest to The Vibes.
“The resident association here is discussing closing certain roads into the PPR, putting up a guarded area and even enforcing car stickers. That can help immensely, but the effort will take some time and, more importantly, funds from the residents.”
Decline in quality of life for PPR residents
Noreffendi, who is also a committee member of the RA, said his community has been dealing with a laundry list of issues that have not been addressed appropriately by DBKL.
This has led to the overall concern – and even dominated discussions among residents – that their overall quality of life continues to deteriorate on top of a concerning national economic situation.
“I could go on and on about the list of issues here, from clogged sewage tanks, soil subsidence, abandoned cars or even the rise of dengue cases caused by stagnant pools of water stemming from the clogged sewage tanks. It is a lot.”
Noreffendi said his community rarely suffers from criminal incidents and the PPR area is generally safe as the community is able to police itself, but noted that it requires drastic help from local authorities to address issues of traffic safety and public health.
“At the end of the day, everyone deserves to live in relative comfort and peace,” he said. – The Vibes, May 20, 2022
