KUCHING: The Public Works Department (PWD) in Sarawak has been urged to ensure road maintenance and repairs by contractors are done off-peak hours especially on heavily congested main roads.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said this is in view of the massive traffic congestion at the already congested Kuching-Kota Samarahan road caused by repair works done during peak hours.
“The massive traffic jams at peak hours at the three roundabouts are getting worse now with the rainy season.
“I received multiple complaints yesterday (Dec 12) and even drove to the site to monitor and was myself caught in the jam at the roundabout near Tabuan Tranquility.
“Some complained to me that it took them almost three hours from Bandar Riyal to Hui Sing Garden due to the congestion, and many were late to pick their children from school because of the traffic jam,” he said in a statement on Today (Dec 13).
Dr Yii added he had made an official report and called on traffic police to help control the traffic to try reduce the congestion.
“This will be an issue I will also raise in it in parliament to get the attention of the new Works Minister to give special priority to.
“However, the core issue is still the policies implemented by PWD and there should be a mechanism that they can impose on contractors, especially to compel them to do repair works only at off-peak hours, or even late at night when there is low traffic.
“It is basically common sense, and is being done and implemented in most developed countries. So, there is no reason that it cannot be implemented here in Malaysia,” he pointed out.
On top of that, he said PWD Sarawak and Kota Samarahan Municipal Council must ensure the upgrade and traffic light projects at the three roundabouts must be expedited and not delayed any longer.
“We cannot accept any more excuses for the project delays and the sudden stoppage of work which has caused so much agony and inconvenience to the people of Kuching and Kota Samarahan.
“There must be a special focus on this particular project to ensure it is expedited and completed as soon as possible without any delays,” he stressed.
He said that in the long-term better city planning is needed and more alternative routes in those highly congested must be made on top of improvements to the public transport system.
“There are concerns that the traffic light upgrades at the roundabouts will not solve this problem, and I myself share such concerns.
“So, the approach towards this issue has to be multi-prong in the long-term, but at least at this moment, immediate short-term actions can be taken.
“That is where urgent steps and policies must be taken to alleviate the congestion on top of expediting the upgrading project in the area,” said Dr Yii.
