Ara Damansara

Posted by LeeYK
Source: Star Feb 6

RESIDENTS along Jalan SS24/10 in Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya, have been having sleepless nights since their neighbourhood introduced the gated and guarded scheme. It isn’t all about the crime rate that they are furious about, but the heavy traffic diverted to the road in front of their homes since the scheme was introduced last year.

The affected residents claim that since the security scheme started, certain roads had been blocked permanently with oil drums and boom gates making cars previously accessing the roads to the LDP highway having no alternative but to use Jalan SS24/10. This is because Jalan SS24/3 and Jalan SS24/1 which lead to Jalan SS24/10 have been completely blocked.

A resident, who declined to be named, said she had to leave her home early each morning in order not to be caught in the traffic crawl at her place.

“Although I teach at a school nearby, I have to leave home before 6.45am so that I can reach my work place in time which is just five minutes away,” she said.

Another resident said the committee which initiated the scheme clearly did not plan to include those in Jalan SS24/10.

“Most of us are not members of the gated and guarded scheme because we have been totally left out of it and our road is easily accessed by anyone regardless of whether they live here or not,” said the resident.

He added that some houses had also been been broken into, while others who parked their cars outside their houses along the road had their windscreens smashed by passers-by. The residents said they had brought the matter up to Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) seeking answers to the barricaded road but there had been no reply.

Two police reports had also been lodged at the Kelana Jaya police station as they felt it was illegal to block off the roads without taking into consideration the inconvenience caused to others living around the area. The roads that were barricaded were Jalan SS24/1, Jalan SS24/2, Jalan SS24/3, Jalan SS24/7 and Jalan SS24/9.

The residents want MBPJ to look into the matter by reopening Jalan SS24/1 road divider located at the T junction of Jalan SS24/13. They said this would ease the congestion on Jalan SS24/10 which will serve as an alternative road to the LDP.

When contacted, MBPJ councillor Tiong Boon Keong said a letter had been issued to the residents manning the gated and guarded scheme seeking them to remove the barricades but the committee had pleaded for the removal to be done after Chinese New Year instead, citing the long holidays as a reason.

Tiong added that he would be meeting MBPJ department heads and councillors next week to discuss the gated and guarded issue in the city as they were finalising the guidelines for such neighbourhood projects undertaken by residents.

“We will not be encouraging them to barricade the roads and will also be letting them know what they can and cannot do. They might be able to close it only from midnight to 6am but not permanently. However, that will have to be approved by the council first,” said Tiong.

On the traffic issue, he said, once the barricades were removed, it would definitely ease the flow of traffic especially during peak hours in the morning and evening. Tiong said he would be meeting Taman Megah residents soon together with the Damansara Utama assemblyman Dr Cheah Weng Yin to brief them on the issue.