KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18: Residents in Brickfields here on Monday took to protesting peacefully the extension of an existing pedestrian pavement and the construction of a divider for a bicycle lane next to several residential buildings and a school at Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad in Brickfields by the Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL).
The pavement extension and the bicycle lane, will come at the price of reducing the three-lane, high traffic Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad road into a two-lane road.
“This will be a nightmare for this busy road, where public buses, school buses as well as private vehicles use. Vehicles from the city centre to Brickfields and also those passing through KL Sentral to head out of Brickfields use this road. It is a high traffic road with churches, temple, mosque and a school, SJKT Vivekananda on either side. Traffic on the current three-lane road is managed well although it gets congested during peak hours and if this wideness is reduced, it will make matters worse,” said one resident living in the area.
“DBKL is currently upgrading the walkway at Jln Sultan Abdul Samad, Brickfields. The stakeholders are very happy with the upgrades and thankful for it. But the plan to extend the walkway by several feet and creating a divider for a bicycle lane has come as a surprise,” said Saravanan, who represented the group of residents.
“Apart from other potential problems seen ahead with the narrowed road, the parents who turned up to hold the peaceful gathering said the development will affect them. They usually line near the side of the road to pick up or send their children to the school and with the new plan, they will have no room to wait.”
Another resident, Ram, said the divider to create the cycle lane was not necessary as a blue line has been created for the purpose. “The lane will narrow the thre three-lane road and contribute to severe traffic congestion. On Fridays, people also come to the mosque, temples and churches and the traffic gets high and this will impact them greatly.”
Ram also alleged that the residents were not consulted on the latest plan.
“They live, work here and cannot understand the reason for extending the pedestrian pavement. Will the pavement be opened for traders to put up their wares. Brickfields is already congested with proxy foreign traders taking up spaces to sell their wares. Won’t the extended and broader pavement encourage more such trade. If stalls are set up along the pavement, those already using the existing pavement, such as the blind, older people, school children and wheel chair users will be affected,” he added.
“The upgrading is appreciated but why narrow and disturb an existing road and traffic system that is working well for the people,” he asked.
–WE