There is a suggestion from a group of villagers from Jalan SS9A/4 of Sungai Way New Village to close off the Y-junction between Jalan SS9A/4 and Jalan SS9A/18, meaning that Jalan SS9A/18 will be disconnected from Jalan SS9A/4.
I would like to comment that such suggestion is not a working solution.
The location where the Jalan SS9A/18 will be upgraded was a road reserve previously occupied by squarters.
Under BN state government, all squarters were relocated under “Zero Squarters” scheme to a new block of low cost flat which is currently under construction.
The developer, Taipan Focus Sdn. Bhd., is required to upgrade roads surrounding the development area, i.e. Jalan SS9A/18 and Jalan SS9A/4.
Nevertheless, Jalan SS9A/18 is not a new road, it is an existing road to be upgraded, and it is being upgraded now.
A group of villagers from area surrounding the Y-junction have initially voiced their concerns on road safety and traffic problems when the Y-junction was designed to face directly the house of a villager.
After several rounds of discussions with the developers and the village head and after taking into considerations the views of other villagers in relation to the road, I intervened on 14th September 2010.
It was then decided that the Y-junction to be slightly modified to become a T-junction so that the connection point will not be directly facing the gate of the affected villager’s house.
It was also suggested that median kerbs, road partitions, bollards, safety beam light, street lightings, speed breakers and road humps will be installed at selected location surrounding the new T-junction as added safety precautions.
I did not receive further complaints on this solution until two days later a villager sent me a text message that they had changed their mind that they wanted to close the junction, claiming that it was my suggestion.
I immediately replied that I had never put forward this idea to the people and I further clarified that a solution had been achieved two days ago and that all parties shall “give and take” to avoid further clashes among the residents of the same neighbourhood.
I also said that nobody can single-handedly close the road as it was already been approved by the council. Moreover the land where Jalan SS9A/18 is located now is a road reserve and it has to be constructed based on town and country planning guidelines.
It is also very difficult to justify closing the junction when previously the junction was opened for villagers, though the roads were smaller then.
Even if there is a consultation, it should not be limited to villagers (stakeholders) currently residing surrounding the junction and those suggesting to close the junction. Villagers from Jalan SS9A/4, Jalan SS9A/18 and possibly Jalan SS9A/16 are also stakeholders who are equally affected.
Moreover, hundreds of house-buyers of the low cost flat (who are former squartters and villagers of Sungai Way New Village as well) are also stakeholders and their views should be sought after.
Certainly the closure of the junction will be seemed as a kind of discrimination towards the less fortunate (the low cost flat residents) by disconnecting them from the rest of the Sungai Way new village which is very much regarded as part of their community.
The closure of the junction will definitely increase traffic loads along Jalan SS9A/1 and Jalan SS9A/14 which are sometimes quite congested during peak hours.
The purpose of this press conference is to first clarify with the press in case such issue is brought up to the attention of the press.
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