The Star Online: Metro: Central
The Star Online: Metro: Central |
| Rawang folk plagued by traffic congestion Posted: 28 Dec 2011 03:19 AM PST TRAFFIC management and the upgrading work on the federal route in Rawang has been a great concern over the year as in previous years. Frustrated residents and motorists have endured endless traffic jams and to manage congestion, a tidal flow system was initiated. The traffic tidal flow along Jalan Sungai Bakau-Batang Berjuntai in Rawang, introduced in February last year, is set to be a permanent feature despite a new flyover being built in the area. It is effective over the weekends from 4.30pm to 8.30pm especially now with the opening of a shopping mall in the area last week. The tidal flow involving a 3km stretch from the Rawang toll heading to Bandar Country Homes was initiated by Selayang municipal councillor G. Gunaraj. The move has been well received by the 100,000 residents in the area. However, the question remains that with so much development earmarked in Rawang, why is the federal road-widening project taking a long time to complete. Gunaraj said the Federal Government project involving the building of two lanes from Rawang town to Bandar Country Homes had yet to materialise after more than a decade, causing residents to endure traffic madness. He added that the residents were still waiting to hear from the Works Ministry on the project status. Gunaraj said although many people had moved out of Rawang due to traffic problems, the area was now booming and there were new housing projects with property prices going up. "We hope that the Federal Government would immediately take action in addressing the traffic woes in Rawang," said Gunaraj, adding that Rawang assemblyman Gan Pei Nei and Selayang MP William Leong had also given a memorandum to the prime minister's office on the matter. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Posted: 28 Dec 2011 03:18 AM PST It has been an eventful 12 months in the Klang Valley. StarMetro Yearender series continues with spotlights on Shah Alam, Subang Jaya and Selayang. One of the notable initiatives this year was the Shah Alam Rivers and Trees For Life programme by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) together with government agencies and several non-governmental organisations. NGOs such as Eco Warriors, Trees for Life, Sathya Sai Baba centre, Leo Club and public and private institutions of learning planted about 40,000 fruit trees in the city. The project, which began in April, involved about 1,500 volunteers and covered areas along the Damansara River, Renggam River and the Jelutong Industrial area. Mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan will also be upgrading the 51.7ha Shah Alam Lake Gardens in the next three years to attract more visitors not only from Shah Alam but also those living in the Klang Valley. Environmentalists and non-governmental organisations gave brownie points to the mayor when he decided to plant fruit tress like guava, soursop, mangosteen as well as ornamental ones like the weeping willows instead of raintrees in parks and the city. "When we have fruits trees, birds and insects will make the park their home," Mohd Jaafar said. With a well planned city-within-a park concept in mind, Mohd Jaafar should now look into his other promise of making the city a cleaner one. Certain areas which were far from towns and those highly populated housing areas like Taman Sri Muda which was once listed as a clean zone is now a far cry from its previous state. Roads and other public amenities such as food courts, football fields, markets and the public halls should also be given the same attention as these areas are common meeting areas for residents. The indiscriminate dumping of rubbish by factories in the Klang river has caused much anger among Taman Sri Muda residents. This ongoing problem was apparent especially during high tide and rainy weather when the rubbish from Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur is washed up in Shah Alam and Klang. The dumping of rubbish in upstream areas is affecting residents living downstream. One can see the huge amount of rubbish including styrofoam boxes and bags of unwanted material floating in the river near Taman Sri Muda. MBSA public relations officer Shahrin Ahmad said the council had been monitoring the river's condition on behalf of the Drainage and Irrigation Department which was responsible for the cleaning up process. "Such incidents only happen during a downpour. So far we have not received any complaints from the public since the one that took place early this year," said Shahrin. In December, Mohd Jaafar introduced yet another green initiative with a landscape design competition for its 28 roundabouts in the city. The contest, which is open to public, was aimed at drawing a new image and identity for Shah Alam. Among the popular roundabouts were Bulatan Kayangan, Bulatan Megawati, JVC roundabout and UiTM roundabout. 'The mayor had said that the roundabouts should be the identity of Shah Alam so that they would leave a lasting impression on visitors and tourists. "The designs could also reflect the city's culture and tradition," he said, adding that people often related Shah Alam to roundabouts. The council also bought iPads for all its heads of department and council's branch offices to reduce the use of paper. "We have meetings every other day and these officers have to print a stack of documents, "By enforcing that they have to bring the iPads for meetings, we hope to reduce the usage of paper," he said, adding that councillors who attend the monthly full board meeting had also been going digital this year. Senior citizens and the disabled had a pleasant surprise when the council launched its community vehicle to cater to their needs. The van provides free transport from their homes to health clinics in Section 7, Section 19 and Bukit Kuda in Klang as well as the Sungai Buloh Hospital, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre and the Univesiti Kebangsaan Hospital in Cheras. The daily service available from 8am to 5pm was an initiative by the council to help the old folk and the disabled to seek medical assistance. There is no hospital nearby and the nearest government hospital is either in Klang or in Petaling Jaya, Travelling in a taxi can cost a lot and the free service was to help them save money. Five months after being appointed mayor in May, Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan faced a boycott against him. Several councillors protested in the usually quiet council meeting after they failed to secure contracts for themselves and their cronies. The councillors were apparently unhappy that Mohd jaafar did not entertain their request for contracts. The councillors had approached Mohd Jaafar for favours by asking for on-the-spot maintenance jobs that were below RM20,000. The mayor stuck to his decision in ensuring that good governance was upheld within the council. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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