Modern Home Design

Access road tussle turns ugly

THE SUDDEN and immediate closure of Jalan Tanjung in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, took many by surprise, especially urban commuters and parents who had to send their children to the SJK(C) Damansara.

Even police officers who were stationed at the junctions to direct traffic were shouted at as motorists demanded to know why they were prevented from using the road.

Those who were obstinate and insisted on turning into the road only to see the road blocked had to make a U-turn back to the Riana Green junction.

On the surface, the tussle is between the developers of Bandar Utama and Tropicana, as an agreement was signed in 1993 to use the land owned by Bandar Utama as a temporary access into Tropicana.

In reality, many developments including high-rise dwellings have sprouted along the area, and thousands of cars now ply the road as a shortcut between Kota Damansara and Bandar Utama, with access onto the NKVE and Sprint highways.

While the Bandar Utama developers have every right to take back what is theirs, the closure of the road would affect many residents from Tropicana and beyond.

Last week, more than 11,000 signatures were collected from residents who were calling for the state government to keep the road open.

The Bandar Utama Residents Association was in full support of the road closure. Some residents staying in BU11 and BU12 were angered because traffic coming in from Persiaran Tropicana, which was the approved permanent access road, would spill onto their part of Lebuh Bandar Utama.

The domino effect would also be felt by residents from Kampung Chempaka and Aman Suria, who also use Lebuh Bandar Utama as an access road.

There was a slight congestion at the Tropicana tunnel and the road leading into BU11 and BU12 on the first day of the road closure and the long queue of cars past the morning peak hour was unusual for that stretch.

Many felt that the congestion was alleviated due to the SPM examinations and that most secondary schoolchildren were on holiday.

The state government now has an important decision to make to not only appease residents on both sides of the divide but also be fair to all parties concerned.

Some residents I spoke to also resented comments made by Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong, who is also a state executive councillor, which they felt were one-sided and made without thorough understanding of the issue at hand.

Residents are getting agitated and they want a swift decision on the matter.

The MBPJ would also have to answer to taxpayers the reason it had approved so many developments in the area, knowing very well that the piece of land was privately owned and never surrendered as a permanent road.

The council had also allowed the PJU3/22 through road from Persiaran Surian that joins both Persiaran Tropicana and Jalan Tanjung, knowing that the latter sat on privately-owned land.

This tussle also saw the parties involved using the media to advertise their stand, with a full-page notice on Saturday jointly issued by the various RAs calling for the state government to acquire the land and a half-page notice yesterday issued by the Bandar Utama developer to explain their side of the story and why they are closing the road.

Unless the state government steps in to find an amicable or at least workable solution soon, the brewing tension could turn into a second episode of the Bandar Mahkota Cheras drama.

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Monday, November 16, 2009 News, Road Closure 0 comments