Ara Damansara

Source: TheStar

DESPITE a no-entry sign at the Taman Megah Mas side of the Lembah Subang tunnel in Petaling Jaya, stubborn motorists continue to use the tunnel to get to Ara Damansara.

The tunnel, used as a short-cut to get from Ara Damansara to the LDP, was closed for about a month to facilitate upgrading works.

After a traffic study commissioned by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) last year, one of the proposals to ease traffic congestion in the area was to turn the road leading to the tunnel into a one-way street, allowing traffic to pass from Ara Damansara towards the LDP.

The tunnel was re-opened last weekend and traffic flow was changed to one way, allowing only cars from Ara Damansara to pass through.

Stubborn: Despite a no-entry sign at the Taman Megah Mas side of the Lembah Subang tunnel, cars are still trying to use the short-cut, although cars from Ara Damansara are coming out from the tunnel on the left. The right tunnel is meant for pedestrians and motorcyclists

For many years, residents in Taman Megah Mas had been complaining about the tunnel because it was never gazetted as legal yet cars using the tunnel had caused massive jams within their residential area.

Ara Damansara residents, on the other hand, wanted the tunnel to remain open because they had to take a longer route to use the FAS tunnel, which also leads to the LDP.

The tunnel used to be flooded whenever it rained and there were exposed electric cables along the stretch.

The upgrading works resulted in a brighter tunnel with lighting and signs painted on the walls to indicate the direction of traffic.

A pedestrian walkway has been built on one side of the tunnel that was designated strictly for motorbikes and pedestrians.

Taman Megah Mas resident Carson Koay said that when the tunnel was opened last weekend, cars were still using the tunnel to get to Ara Damansara despite the no-entry sign at the entrance of the tunnel.

“During peak hours, there would be cars trying to get into Ara Damansara while other cars were coming out of the tunnel,” said Koay.

Motorists coming from Ara Damansara seemed to be unsure of where to go, as there were no signs informing them that traffic was one-way.

MBPJ public relations director Haniza Abdul Hamid said that the council would look into putting up more signages to inform motorists of the new traffic flow.