Pertanyaan lisan di Dewan Rakyat mengenai kesesakan lalulintas di Jalan Segambut

Tuan Lim Lip Eng [Segambut] minta Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan menyatakan apakah langkah-langkah penyelesaian kesesakan lalu lintas di sepanjang Jalan Segambut dari Mont’ Kiara dan Kepong sebelum ketibaan Rancangan Malaysia Ke-10 pada tahun 2011.

Jawapan daripada Kementerian Wilayah Persekutuan:

Untuk makluman Ahli Yang Berhormat bagi Segambut, jalan-jalan yang dimaksudkan mempunyai kelebaran jalan yang tidak sekata. Malahan, kelebaran jalan pada satu-satu tempat juga adalah terlalu sempit sehinggakan jika ada sebuah sahaja kereta yang diletakkan ditepi jalan, ia boleh mengakibatkan halangan dan kesesakan lalu-lintas. Begitu juga apabila terdapat kenderaan perkhidmatan untuk mengutip sampah sedang beroperasi, maka kesesakan akan berlaku. Masalah kelebaran jalan tidak sekata ini merupakan antara penyumbang kepada berlakunya kesesakan lalu lintas di jalan-jalan tersebut.

Masalah kelebaran jalan yang tidak sekata ini ditambah lagi dengan kapasiti lalu lintas yang sangat tinggi membuatkan jalan tersebut tidak dapat menampung aliran trafik. Keadaan ini mengakibatkan kesesakan lalulintas.

Antara langkah-langkah penyelesaian yang boleh diambil ialah dengan menaiktaraf jalan tersebut namun ianya akan menelan kos yang tinggi. Bajet untuk melaksanakan kerja-kerja meningkatkan jalan tersebut tidak diperuntukkan dalam Rancangan Malaysia Ke-9.
Oleh yang demikian, proses menaik taraf jalan tersebut masih belum dapat dilaksanakan. Walaubagaimanapun, DBKL akan melaksanakan beberapa langkah awal berkaitan pengurusan lalu lintas di jalan-jalan tersebut seperti mengkaji pemasaan (timing) dan juga masa kitaran (cycle time) lampu-lampu isyarat di persimpangan-persimpangan yang ada serta menambah pemasangan papan-papan tanda lalu lintas agar dapat mengurangkan masalah kesesakan lalu lintas di jalan-jalan ini.

Synopsis (my version): Basically, the government is telling motorists at Jalan Segambut to be patient while suffering the horrible traffic jam until the year 2011 only when the 9^th Malaysian Plan kicks off.

Missing link is the cause of Mont Kiara’s daily crawl

Frustrating wait: An aerial view showing the unused ramp on the right of the main road.

Stalemate: The ramp remains closed because of the land dispute.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/ (Monday June 22, 2009, by LIM CHIA YING, photos courtesy of Sprint)

SIX years after it was completed and ready for use, the RM10mil ramp that leads to the Penchala Link near the Mont Kiara interchange has still not been opened. The ramp, measuring just 530m long, was completed in time to coincide with the opening of the Penchala Link in 2003 without obstructing traffic going into the NKVE and Mont Kiara. However, there has not been any progress since a land dispute occurred at the time and the ramp remains closed. Because of this, traffic crawls are experienced by motorists daily especially in the evenings as they are all forced to converge at the common temporary entrance route to Mont Kiara, NKVE and the turn-off to the Penchala Link. The temporary two-lane access route is dangerous and narrow, as the road splits to fork out into different directions. Even motorists coming from the free-flow roads of the Kerinchi Link and the DUKE Highway are inevitably caught in the crawl. The dispute began soon after a third party managed to get a court injunction that stopped the opening of the ramp. The landowner had claimed ownership to a piece of land through which the ramp was accessed.

The case was brought to court but further details are unknown. The traffic congestion has irked many motorists who said the ramp should just be opened once and for all as road users are made to suffer while the dispute continues. K.K. Oon said he did not know why the ramp was still not open after so many years. “If the ramp is open, cars going to the Penchala Link would not add to the jam at the Mont Kiara turn-off,” personal trainer Oon, 45, said. He said the situation was made worse by the set of traffic lights which was a contributory factor to the jam. “In the evenings, the traffic crawl will start from 5pm and continue until 7pm,” he said. Komathee Veerappan, 31, who had previously worked as a research analyst in Plaza Mont Kiara, said her husband was always caught in the morning and evening crawl whenever sending and picking her up from work. “After sending me, he is unable to make any detours and just has to go with the main flow in order to get to his workplace in Putrajaya. If the ramp was opened, it would have saved everyone’s time. “I just think the government should do something so that people’s lives are made easier or it will defeat the purpose of the ramp,” Komathee from Sentul said. Nandah Kumar, who owns two office units in Mont Kiara, said the tenant turnover was high and he attributed this to the congestion. “I’ve had three tenants over the last four years and the only excuse they give me was the jams. “The ramp should just be opened first and the dispute be settled later,” the 58-year-old said. Expatriate resident Jose Pereira, 65, who lives at the Bayu Condominium in Mont Kiara, said as a regular user of the Kerinchi link, he had much difficulty just trying to drive home during the evening peak hours. Other expatriates also expressed their disappointment over the issue and said the unopened ramp was an eyesore.

When contacted, Sprint (Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat Sdn Bhd) communication manager Bhavani Krishna Iyer said the highway concessionaire emphatised with the public’s plight but they could only leave it to the authorities to open the ramp. “We are unable to do much on our part, although the people have come to us with their complaints,” she said. She said the government had given the land to Sprint to develop the ramp after the first owner/developer had handed it over to the government as one of the development conditions.

When contacted, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said based on his findings, the ramp was almost 99% complete but there was a pending court decision that made it impossible to do anything. “I don’t know if Sprint has carried out proper research beforebuilding this ramp, because if it has evidence on the ownership issue, it could have easily struck out the claim in court. “For now, we can only keep waiting until the court finally makes its decision,” Lim said.

Six residents and NGO worker arrested for obstruction

Photo taken from Sin Chew Daily: A kneeling woman cried, her brother was arrested at their house gate while city hall enforcement moved in to demolish their house for 40 years.

Photo taken from ChinaPress: Futile attempt by a woman against the authority.

Above photos taken from www.chinapress.com.my

Photo taken from Sin Chew Daily: Another houseowner busted while trying to save his house.

Futile attempt: One of the residents standing on an excavator in the hope of dissuading the DBKL officers.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (Tuesday June 16, 2009, by PRIYA MENON, photo by ABDUL RAHMAN SENIN)

THE Jinjang Selatan Tambahan residents’ greatest fear came true yesterday when the enforcement unit from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) arrived to demolish their homes. Some 100 DBKL officers arrived in trucks and two excavators as early as 9am to tear down the remaining houses in the area after the deadline for the residents to shift out expired yesterday.

DBKL deputy director of operations Ab Salim Mansor said their orders were to demolish all houses as the residents had exhausted all avenues within the Federal Territories Ministry and the DBKL. “We have already had dialogues eight times and during the last one, they had agreed to it, so now they are only trying to buy time,” he said. He added that even though in the letter addressed to the residents, the place was listed as Kampung Benteng, it was still the same area. “This place was TOL land. The TOL was revoked in 1997, so it is a squatter now. We are doing our job to make way for the development of the road,” Salim added. He added that the residents were asked to move out for their own safety due to the high tension wires that ran above the homes. The residents, however, said during the last meeting, they had agreed under duress as they had no choice. They claimed that some residents who had received their keys to the Batu Muda flats had found other people living in their units. “How are we supposed to shift out then? If there are people in the units, where do we move our stuff into?” asked resident, S. Susil Raj.

Residents barricaded their houses and became angry when the DBKL team proceeded to with their task. At first, the DBKL officers tried talking to the residents but as the residents continued to buy time, the excavators were brought in. Witnesses at the scene claimed the DBKL officers were high-handed and both parties got riled up. Both parties suffered injuries in the ensuing scuffle and six residents and an NGO worker were arrested by the DBKL for obstruction. Police reinforcements were brought in from the Sentul police station and the Jinjang police beat. Among those arrested were M. Selvamani, 34, Chris Ng, 48, and Selangor and Federal Territory Community Association (Permas) secretary Julie Wong, 44, who were all trying to stop the demolition.

One female officer allegedly pulled the hair of an elderly woman who wished to be known only as Ng. when she tried to save some of her belongings. Ng added that she had not received her keys yet and thus had not shifted out although she was willing to. The residents were also displeased when the officers half-dragged, half-carried an elderly man who was trying to save his house. After the arrests, the DBKL personnel evacuated the other houses and transported the residents’ belongings to the Batu Muda flats. After ensuring that the houses were vacant, the enforcement team continued the demolish exercise. Ng’s brother Ng Say Yoke, 41, said they received the letter on Friday and went to meet the officer in charge at the DBKL on Saturday but were told that the officer was not in. “So we didn’t have enough time to pack and shift out,” he said. Permas president Tan Jo Hann said he had witnessed the rough handling by the DBKL officers. “The land may belong to the DBKL but the homes are the residents’ properties. There are many things that need to be sorted out before the demolition is carried out,” he said. He added that the people should have been given proper compensation and not treated harshly. “A young man who was trying to take a picture of his house was pushed and they stepped on his camera and broke it,” he added.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw, who were attending Parliament, arrived after 11am and tried to talk to the residents and DBKL officers. They spoke to the police to secure the release of those arrested on police bail. “I have spoken to the police officers and they will release the residents immediately after the DBKL lodges its report by this evening,” Lim said. “These people have been living here for more than 40 years so they are definitely emotionally attached to the place,” Tan said, adding that the Land and Mineral office should have played its part from the beginning and not let 40 years lapse. “This kind of action will affect the residents badly,” he added.
The Bar Council’s Human Rights lawyers were also present and their representative, Siti Z. Kasim, said they would try to file claims of property for the residents’ houses. “This is such a shame; so many issues need to be clarified by the people and the DBKL. They should have waited until everything has been settled,” she said, adding that the residents had filed a report against the DBKL yesterday for allegedly forcing them to sign the papers. “If we can prove that they were forced to sign, then we can claim,” she added. Susil added that they should have waited for a reply to the residents’ letter of appeal to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. DBKL enforcement department director Rolan Abd Rahman, who arrived later, said the DBKL was only trying to do its job. “We are not cruel or inconsiderate. We even helped to move the things out before demolishing the homes,” said Ab Salim.

Second Segambut Parliament Constituent’s Service Center

YB Dr Lo' Lo', PAS MP for Titiwangsa giving speech while Lim and PAS Segambut secretary Hj Rahim looked on

About 50 residents attende the opening

From left: Lim, PKR Segambut chief Dr Idris and PAS MP Titiwangsa Dr Lo' Lo'

The second Segambut Parliament Constituent’s Service Center was officially opened by MP Segambut Lim Lip Eng and MP Titiwangsa Dr Lo’ Lo’ on 14.6.2009. About 50 people mostly neighboring residents attended the opening. The easily accessible center is located along Jalan Segambut main road at Lorong Kelapa Gading. “Segambut parliament constituency is the largest in Kuala Lumpur and the opening of this center is to serve the people better, it allows people from Kg Segambut Dalam and Bandar Menjelara to approach us for assistance,” he said. Lim informed the crowd that the center would be opened to public every evening except weekends and public holidays.

“I will try my best to be at the center every Tuesday night from 8pm to 10pm,” he said.

At the launch, Lim announced that he would contribute RM500 every month for the maintenance of the center.

Lim also said he welcomed criticisms in order for him to rectify his mistakes and to improve himself.

The center can be contacted through email – dapsegambut@gmail.com or http://limlipeng.blogspot.com.

Family suspects foul play in student's death

Source: www.malaysiakini.com (Wong Pheak Zern, 13.06.09 11:15am)

The family of university student Gan Cin Hong, who had supposedly committed suicide two weeks ago, has claimed that he might not have killed himself. According to the Cin Hong's family, the police said that the 25-year-old final year engineering student from Universiti Malaya hanged himself on May 25 in a rented house at Petaling Jaya, where he stayed with three other housemates. When family members were informed about their son's death three days later, they went to the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) to claim his body. The family members said the police had refused to let them view photos from the suicide scene when they were asked to sign several documents to claim the body. Cin Hong was laid to rest at his hometown in Muar, Johor on May 31. Desperate to find out what had really happened to Cin Hong, family members went to the Petaling Jaya house in search of answers. "After looking at the scene, we believe that Cin Hong could not have committed suicide," said the father of the deceased, Gan Wa, at a press conference held by the Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng at the DAP office in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. "If my son had hanged himself to death with a Streamyx (local Internet service provider) wire in his bedroom, there would not be so much blood and body fluids on the floor," said the father.
According to Wa (left in photo), the liquids had seeped through the door's partition to the corridor leading to the toilet and the kitchen. Cin Hong's family members expressed surprise that his three housemates were not aware of Cin Hong's death for three days, until the night of May 28 when his housemate called the police and reported the death. The police took Cin Hong’s mobile phone as identification because they claimed his wallet could not be found in the room, said Wa. "But when we went to the house, we found my son's wallet lying on his table, and if there was cash inside, it was all gone," he added.

'Cheerful, smart and optimistic person'
The family members also said that Cin Hong was a cheerful, smart and optimistic person, and had neither financial difficulties nor personal problems. Although he was a high-scoring student, elder brother Gan Chin Kuan said Cin Hong was not close to his housemates and often stayed in his room after returning from classes at the university. Chin Kuan also argued that it was impossible for his brother to commit suicide because he had often condemned such act when he read about them in the newspapers. The family will have to wait up to three months before the complete postmortem report is released.
DAP legislator Lim has urged Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar to undertake a thorough investigation on Cin Hong's death.

Indiscriminate chopping of trees by DBKL upsets residents

Left to rot: The stumps and chopped branches have been left along the side of Jalan Beringin in Bukit Damansara.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/central/

By CHRISTINA LOW (Wednesday June 10, 2009)

IT seems that the green war to protect environment and nature is going to be a long, long protracted one, with no end in sight. This is what residents of Bukit Damansara in Kuala Lumpur found to their dismay, and the perpetrator is, horror of horrors, the local authority. While they are trying their utmost to save the trees in the neighbourhood, workers of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) are going around chopping them down indiscriminately, with nary a care for anything. Left to rot: The stumps and chopped branches have been left along the side of Jalan Beringin in Bukit Damansara. “We are trying our best to save the trees and plant more trees and there the DBKL is cutting them down,” Bukit Damansara Residents Association deputy treasurer George Gill said. George said the DBKL had chopped down seven trees along Jalan Beringin since February, “The DBKL did not inform the residents association the purpose of chopping down the trees,” he said. He said when he called Segambut branch of the DBKL, he was told by an officer that the trees were sick and needed to be brought down. “The DBKL should at least try to trim and treat the trees first before chopping them,” resident Lily Cheong said. When StarMetro visited the site yesterday, remains of the trees that were chopped recently were seen on the sides of the road, waiting to be cleared. George said the residents wanted to know just how many more trees were said to be sickly and had to brought down.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who visited the area, said the matter was indeed a serious one. “Last year, residents in Segambut said they requested the DBKL to chop down old and oversized trees but their request was turned down by the DBKL which said they only trim trees but not chop them,” Lim said. “But in the Bukit Damansara case, no resident has requested for such work but it took place,” he said. Lim had earlier called the manager of the Segambut DBKL branch and was given the same answer, stating the trees were unwell. Lim said he would write to the DBKL soon to seek an explanation on the matter.

Road change upsets motorists

One-way: Jalan 4/42A in Taman Sejahtera in Segambut, which was made one-way last month. Note the car going against the flow of traffic.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/

By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ (Monday June 8, 2009)

THE Duke Highway concessionaire’s sudden move to convert Jalan 4/42A in Taman Sejahtera, off Jalan Kuching, into a one-way street is causing much confusion among motorists in the area. The road, which had been a dual-way traffic for the last 20 years, was made one-way just last month, and road signs have been put up to inform motorists. However, residents were not informed or consulted before the change was made, and as a result, motorists have chosen to ignore the signboard and carry on using the road as before. More than 15,000 residents in Taman Sejahtera, Taman Kok Doh, Taman City, Kampung Pasir Segambut and Taman Lawa are affected by the change. Before the road change, motorists were allowed to turn out into Jalan 1/42A and those coming from Jalan Jambu Mawar and people coming from Jalan Duta could turn into Jalan 4/42A. Now, residents coming from Jalan Jambu Mawar and heading towards Jalan 1/42A cannot turn right into the street. Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng questioned the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) about the matter through a letter. The DBKL informed him that the road was converted into a one-way street by the Duke Highway without referring to the City Hall. Lim said the DBKL, in its reply, also stated that it had instructed the Duke Highway concessionaire to prepare a traffic study on the road. “The Duke Highway (concessionaire) has committed an offence, and it cannot be allowed to get away with it. A week ago, we went to make a police report,” he said. Quoting the Road, Drainage and Building Act 1974, Lim said any one who erected or covered anything in a public place without the local authority’s consent could be arrested without a warrant by police officers. “The local authority also has the right to remove the signboards and charge the expenses to the concessionaire. “Even after the police report, no one took action, not even the police,” he said during a press conference on Friday.

Meanwhile Taman Sejahtera Komuniti Bestari vice-chairman Emran Hasbullah said the conversion of the road into a one-way street made it more accident-prone. “We are ignoring the signage and going to continue to use the road as we did before because it’s illegal and we were not even consulted about it. “We were not given alternative routes, but even if we had and we did follow them, it would have involved a 10-minute detour,” he said.