Illegal parking, heavy vehicles fuel traffic woes

 

Cars parked on both sides of Jalan Berlian of Kim Teng Park.

Kim Teng Park residents are crying foul over illegal parking and a surge in heavy vehicles that have severely clogged traffic in their neighbourhood.

They said vehicles parked indiscriminately by the roadside had plagued them for years, while ongoing development projects, including a mass rapid transit railway construction, had led to an influx of heavy vehicles in Johor Baru’s oldest housing estate.

The closure of an access road has also contributed to the traffic bottlenecks.

Accountant P. Alma Gomez, 41, said the issues have made life difficult for residents, forcing some to endure hours of standstill traffic just to leave their homes.

“With Jalan Storey closed, motorists are now forced to use Kim Teng Park as an alternative route to get to town.“This has significantly increased traffic through the area and the illegal parking along the road only makes things worse.

“It is also very dangerous, especially when cars are parked on both sides of a narrow junction, blocking our view when turning,” she said during a recent meeting between residents and Johor Baru MP Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.

Ng says ongoing projects have caused noise pollution and left surrounding area dusty.

Retiree Ng Gek Heng, 79, said apart from the congestion and parking problems, the ongoing projects had also caused noise pollution and left the surrounding area covered in dust.

“It is worse now due to the ongoing haze.

“I cannot even open my windows as freely as I used to, because then my house will get very dusty.

“On top of that, we are bombarded with loud noise from the construction site, which can sometimes go on until late at night,” she said.

Kim Teng Park Residents Association chairman Danial Lokman Hakim, 64, said cars and motorcycles commonly remain parked along the road for days.

Danial says it is common for cars and motorcycles to be parked along the road for days.

“Most of the cars belong to people working in Singapore, who leave their vehicles here before heading to work, taking them back only when their shifts end.

“This has been going on for years and now, with the construction, driving around this area is much more difficult due to lorries carrying construction materials,” he said.

Meanwhile, Akmal Nasrullah, who is also Economy Minister, said he would bring the matter up with the relevant departments.

“I will try to hold a meeting with Johor Baru City Council and Malaysia Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd soon so that I can highlight to them the residents’ issues.

“As much as we want the projects to be completed on time, we also need to ensure that they do not disrupt the lives and comfort of local residents,” he said. - Star