BY MOHD ZAHID AHMAD ZAKI
KUCHING: The Hari Raya Aidilfitri is almost upon us and as is usual around this time of year no part of this city is not jam-packed with people.
In the city centre almost all the roads are either jammed or filled with snail’s paced traffic.
The city has four mega shopping malls — The Spring at Simpang Tiga, Aeon Mall at Jalan Datuk Patinggi Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, VivaCity at Jalan Wan Ali and Plaza Merdeka in the old part of town.
A three-day observation was made along Jalan Satok, and all the roads leading to the malls. All the roads had traffic jams particularly after 4 pm.
The distance from Satok to the Spring is only 5.5 kilometres and normally (with light traffic) takes 15 minutes to cover. Right now, it takes double that time — longer if some bad things unfortunate happen on the way.
On ordinary days, it takes eight minutes by car to cover the 3.4 kilometres from Satok to Aeon Mall; Satok to VivaCity (7.6 km) — 21 minutes; and Satok to Plaza Merdeka (2.9 km) — nine minutes.
Now that traffic is moving slower than usual, travelling just 5.5 kilometres feels like 10 kilometres. Those who think otherwise are welcomed to try!
Currently, Satok area is a good example of what are happening in other parts of the city. Those with road-rage tendencies should not even go near the place. With Wisma Satok in the centre of everything plus the 80 bazaar Ramadan stalls popping up nearby after two years of absence, the whole are is a great hive of festive activities and good old commercial goings-on.
“The number of vehicles on the road is increasing today, perhaps because the festive season is approaching.
“My normal trip to work takes 20 to 25 minutes, yet today (yesterday) it was almost an hour,” said Siti Farida Salleh, 24, a Suara Sarawak reporter.
She observed that traffic was especially slow along Jalan Matang Jaya in front of E-mart and the road passing Normah Hospital.
Mustafa Yusuff, 65, a commuter from Kampung Sungai Bedil, said the traffic congestion should be expected because it happens every time festive season.
However, this year, traffic is especially bad and started becoming problematic two or so weeks before Raya.
“It used to be about a week or so last time. I guess times have changed. Also, there seems to be more and more cars,” said.
Then again, the busyness everywhere could be due to the letting go of tension and frustration of the past two years when people’s movements were restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They feel free now to celebrate just like in the old days.
A regular traveller from Samarahan, Mohd Yakup Darhaman, 34, was rather philosophical when facing the traffic jams on the way to the Vivacity shopping centre.
“From my house to the mall often takes 25 minutes, yet today (yesterday) I spent almost an hour on the road. One has to be patient. The more developed our city becomes, the more worse the road traffic.
“Such a situation happens because people are already out on the road by 4 pm to visit the various Ramadan bazaars or the mall,” he said.
