Not a Viable Move to Reduce Traffic

By Moaz Yusuf Ahmad

I AM surprised to hear that the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) concessionaire, Lingkaran Trans Kota Sdn Bhd (Litrak), is planning to expand the roads in Petaling Jaya, near the LDP.

The aim is to take some pressure off the highway, especially the area between Taman Megah and Kelana Jaya.

Despite calls for more public transit, the only solution that comes to the minds of the planners is to build more roads.

It is not enough that the LDP has divided Petaling Jaya and Bandar Sunway, and limited accessibility for pedestrians, public transit and drivers. Now, the concessionaire wants to sub-divide what is left of Petaling Jaya by building more roads.

There is no solution to reduce traffic on the LDP between Kelana Jaya and Taman Megah. The road has sharp curves, and there are pillars for the LRT guide-way and the traffic at Kelana Jaya station. All these block traffic flow.

Although traffic needs to be reduced, there is no reason to build parallel roads. There are already enough roads and expressways – the parallel expressway (the North-South Central link) and the Subang- Kelana link, which will open by the end of next year.

The best solution would be to make better use of existing facilities.

RapidKL should extend LRT services to Lembah Subang and use the Subang depot as a temporary station. They should increase the number of feeder buses at the Kelana Jaya station, and extend the service to the station in Lembah Subang.

More RapidKL buses plying route T43 (or a shorter route from Damansara to Puchong) can help.

The Works Ministry should redesign the Majlis Link so that it forms a direct connection between Jalan Majlis and the Federal Highway. Since it was opened last year, drivers have been using it as a shortcut between the LDP and Federal Highway. This makes sense because the link reduces pressure on the LDP-Federal Highway interchange.

With this simple change, traffic will be able to move smoothly between the LDP, Federal Highway and the future Subang-Kelana link.

MOAZ YUSUF AHMAD

Subang Jaya

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