PUTRAJAYA – Klang Valley road users can look forward to smoother travels as Putrajaya has given local authorities two weeks to resolve long-standing road closure issues.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that five local authorities have been given two weeks to identify and submit reports on road closures in their respective areas.
“We want local councils to identify road closures in their area and come back to us (the cabinet committee) within two weeks as we want to reopen the blocked roads as soon as possible.
“If construction at the closed roads has been completed then the roads should be reopened immediately.
“For roads that are still undergoing construction, local authorities will have to submit mitigation plans to ensure that work towards project completion is carried out in a timely manner,” Loke said during a press conference here today.
He added that the government had decided on this after receiving complaints from numerous parties regarding roads that have been closed for extended periods.
“Even police have complained to us about how some roads have been shut off to road users for too long now,” Loke, who is also DAP secretary-general, said.
The five local authorities involved in the initiative are Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) as well as the city councils of Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, and Ampang Jaya.
The decision was made during a cabinet committee on traffic congestion meeting here today, which was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
While the Transport Ministry was appointed as the committee’s secretariat, other ministries and agencies involved in the committee include the Works Ministry, Home Ministry, Local Government and Development Ministry, Finance Ministry, and Royal Malaysia Police.
Zahid, who is also Umno president, said that while DBKL had initially targeted to establish a total solution to transportation problems in the nation by 2030, the cabinet committee had agreed that the timeline must be expedited.
“We have discussed the matter and (Loke) will be setting the revised date for when we are aiming to present a total solution to national transportation woes,” he said.
Besides that, the committee also agreed to implement a “contraflow” system within identified congested areas, as has been practised in Jalan Cheras for several years now.
It will also be analysing several “quick-win” approaches and strategies that can be taken to address travel issues, including by better promoting public transportation services.
Other measures include improving bus services, which will entail increasing pedestrian access to bus stations and integrating transportation modes. – The Vibes, May 2, 2023
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