PETALING Jaya City Council has come under fire for its one-way loop (OWL) system implemented on Sunday.
The loop, which covers 3.2km route in the heart of Petaling Jaya, has drawn flak from confused motorists driving haphazardly through the 3.2km system.
Motorists vented their frustrations to Streets and posted comments on Facebook saying they were still confused about the loop which covers four roads — Jalan Utara, Jalan Selatan, Jalan Timur and Jalan Barat.
They are urging the Petaling Jaya City Council to address their concerns, with some going as far as to ask for the system to be scrapped.
A baffled motorist Joey Nai asked if the council had considered the fact that the roads were built for right-handed driving before implementing the trial run.
She said the system was dangerous for schools and buildings on the right side of the loop, adding that there were many students walking from the Taman Jaya LRT station to SMK Assunta and other schools in areas such as Sections 10 and 5, here.
Chew Kim Soon said the system had taken drivers by surprise and that those coming from outside the city would also be extremely confused.
“The road requires massive rework before the system can be safely and effectively implemented,” he said.
Agathians Shelter council member Inthira Ilavarasan said it had become dangerous for the children to cross the street at SMK Bukit Bintang in Jalan Utara.
“Traffic police are stationed there, but they do not control traffic or allow pedestrians to cross the busy road.
Pedestrians take about 15 minutes just to cross the road, which they do by dodging passing vehicles,” he added.
Kavin Ch’ng also said he experienced a lunch-hour crawl near Jaya 33. “A major bottleneck to the one-way loop was caused by buses and parents picking up the schoolchildren at SMK Bukit Bintang and SK Sri Petaling.
“Additional personnel are needed to manage the traffic during peak hours,” he said.
Tracey Goh said residents in Sections 12 and 11 needed to know where to switch lanes.
“This is dangerous. I missed one lane switch and ended up doing two loops. And the lane to which I had to switch was chocked with cars parked along the road waiting to pick up the kids at SK Sri Petaling.
“It’s ridiculous to have to guess when to switch lanes and end up doing another loop. Imagine what it’s going to be like for motorists who are from out of state,” she said.
Christian Yong said the five lanes on Jalan Timur near Amcorp Mall was dangerous.
“There is no zebra crossing, pedestrian bridge, traffic light to slow traffic down or speed limit sign.
“The exits from Jalan Bukit 11/2 to Jalan Barat and Jalan Barat to Klang are too short, cars are criss-crossing here.
“And everyone seems to be speeding,” he said, while taking a jibe at the council for spending over RM20 million on the loop which appeared to him to be hastily implemented.
Mary Reggie also asked if the system, which was being tried out for three months, could be scrapped after the trial.
She said the system might work with more signs and the removal of cones, and at the cost of a longer journey for the motorists.
Mary also observed cars speeding along Jalan Barat, where there was a lane switch near Hilton Petaling Jaya.
She said cars were speeding past Amcorp Mall as Jalan Timur was extremely wide, adding that there were no overhead signs to indicate exits and turnoffs.
Some motorists, were however, more forgiving. T. Nesh Kumar said the system was a work in progress.
“People need to slow down and follow the new lanes. The cars parked by the road side near the schools on Jalan Utara, Amcorp Mall and in New Town are also a hazard.”
Streets checks showed that the traffic flow has seen little improvement since the day of implementation. Motorists were seen criss-crossing Jalan Utara near Hotel Armada. This was because those who want to get to Section 14 and those who want to access the buildings on the right of the road have to keep to the left and right, respectively.
However, since the traffic on the road is also fed by the Federal Highway next to the Asia Jaya LRT station and next to PJ Hilton, these streams of vehicles have to compete for road space with traffic coming from the direction of the hotel.
The same was observed at the turn to the Federal Highway in Jalan Utara as well as the turn off near Amcorp Mall in Jalan Timur.
To make matters worse, some confused drivers had paused or were driving slowly in the middle of the road to make exits, to the frustration of other motorists.
One driver was recklessly driving against traffic in Jalan Utara to get to a building on his right. A motorcyclist was also removing plastic barriers to drive against traffic at the break of Jalan Utara opposite the Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital, where there was formerly a turning. He was breaking the law to get to the lanes leading to Section 14.
Drivers were also parking their vehicles on the roadside. While not much congestion was visible at mid-day yesterday, students from SMK Bukit Bintang were crossing Jalan Utara without using the pedestrian crossing.
It is learnt that the council conducts a post-mortem on the system every night.
Bukit Gasing assemblyman R. Rajiv, who has been monitoring the traffic flow, is expected to visit the site today.
For enquiries and complaints, call the council 24-hour hotline at 03-7954 2020.
