NOVEMBER 23, 2009

STATE GOVERNMENT DECIDES ON THE CLOSURE OF JALAN TANJUNG BANDAR UTAMA

SHAH ALAM: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SEKRETARIAT AKHBAR, PEJABAT MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR, TINGKAT 20, BANGUNAN SULTAN SALAHUDDIN ABDUL AZIZ SHAH, 40502 SHAH ALAM, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA. TEL: 603-554470032 FAX: 603-55109686

The Selangor Government is concerned with the predicaments faced by the residents of Damansara following the decision made by Bandar Utama City Corporation (BUCC) to close Jalan Tanjung Bandar Utama, which was temporarily built on the company’s property.

After hearing the residents protest on the closure, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim held a meeting with BUCC and Dijaya Corporation Berhad, the developer of Tropicana whose residents are affected by the closure, on Friday and Sunday.

The meetings were also attended by Petaling Jaya City Council officials led by mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman and Petaling Jaya district officer Dato’ Zulkefli Ahmad. It was agreed by every party for Jalan Tanjung Bandar Utama to be operated as a one-way road for two weeks to allow road users to make their exit from dari Jalan Persiaran Tropicana to Lebuh Bandar Utama.

This temporary measure will ease traffic congestion while the state government study the feasibility of widening Jalan Tanjung Bandar Utama to a four-lane road from its current two-lane.

"If it is feasible, we will work with BUCC to make Jalan Tanjung Bandar Utama a permanent public road instead of a temporary one. In the event that it is feasible, the road will be reopened as usual while construction work begins," said Tan Sri Abdul Khalid.

To ensure that traffic is not worsened by the temporary measure, the state has instructed MBPJ to reassign the U-turn at the junction of Jalan Tropicana Selatan and Jalan Hilir Bandar Utama further up near a nursery near the area. A second measure is to build a road to link Jalan PJU1A/1 in Ara Damansara to Persiaran Tropicana. These two measures will start immediately.

 These measures were made after consulting traffic consultant Goh Bok Yen from MAG Technical & Development Consultant Sdn Bhd. The State Government appeals to all residents to be patient while the feasibility study is conducted.

The discussions also identified that poor planning in the past is the root cause of the traffic woes in Damansara which involved some 40 million square foot of development.

"It is obvious the traffic condition in Damansara is bad since the level of service at all outlets from the area is ranked C, D and F. With or without Jalan Tanjung Bandar Utama, the traffic is just bad. This is why the state is now looking into mid and long term solutions to the problem," said the Menteri Besar.

Among the mid-term solutions are re-alignment of roads to avoid residential routes in Kelana Idaman and improving Persiaran Surian by building an overpass at Persiaran Mahogani.

As for long term, the state will be calling all developers in Damansara to work together to solve the traffic problems in the area. The state plans to set up a special fund to improve the infrastructure in Damansara.

"It has to be a collective responsibility by every developer to improve the situation there. It is not only good social responsibility but also good for their business. If traffic is clear, not only residents are happy, their properties price will go up. So it benefits everyone," said Tan Sri Abdul Khalid.