Absence of bus park jams up tourist town

Fences around a construction site in Brinchang block an area that once served as a parking lot.

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: Residents of Brinchang are complaining about a high-rise construction project in the town, blaming it for congestion in the streets.

The congestion is caused mainly by buses parked haphazardly. A large area once designated as a bus park has apparently been blocked off for the construction, which has been approved by the Cameron Highlands municipal council.

Tall fences have been put up around the construction site.

PSM’s Suresh stands in front of a fence that blocks an area where buses used to park.

According to Cameron Highlands PSM secretary B Suresh, ample parking spaces, especially for buses, are a basic necessity in Brinchang because the town is a popular tourist destination and has many hotels located in a small area.

“A lot of buses come here,” he said. “Without proper parking, the bus drivers have no choice but to park anywhere they can, which then leaves the town terribly congested for everyone else.”

Suresh hopes to stand as a candidate for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat in the coming general election.

Casa Inspirasi, the developer of the project that is apparently causing the congestion, has put up a sign informing the public that it is constructing a building that will house a supermarket and have nine floors for a hotel and seven floors of office space. -FMT