By Karen Bong
KUCHING, May 10: A total of 1,286 residents and businesses from Uni-Central and Uni-Garden in Kota Samarahan have submitted a petition to the relevant authorities, calling for the reopening of a shortcut route to Uni-Central at the Sarawak Heart Centre roundabout.
They say its closure since April 19 has caused immense inconvenience and impacted not only the daily commute of residents but also business activity in the area.
The petition was submitted on May 3 to Public Works Department (JKR), Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS), Land and Survey Department, Samarahan Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Rubiah Wang, and Stakan assemblyman Datuk Hamzah Brahim.
The closure of the shortcut route to facilitate ongoing upgrading works around the Sarawak Heart Centre roundabout has wreaked havoc on the daily lives of residents who are forced to take a lengthy detour by driving all the way up to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) just to make a U-turn to come down in order enter their respective housing areas.
The closure of the shortcut has heightened the frustration of residents as it has substantially increased travel time, especially coming down from Kuching, to reach home and has caused them to get mired in traffic congestion, given the heavy traffic in the area, especially during peak hours.
The prolonged closure of the shortcut has also taken a toll on local businesses situated along the main road in Uni-Central with fewer cars passing through the area and patrons are getting diverted to other areas to shop or eat.
Resident Sandy Kang, who is a former practising lawyer, said that the shortcut closure also hampers emergency services, leading to delayed response times from Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) and ambulance services.
“We understand that there may be valid reasons for the closure of the shortcut, but we kindly request that the authorities reconsider opening it up since no construction work is being carried out at the roundabout at this moment.
“If the shortcut is closed due to traffic jams it caused at the main highway, why not turn it into one-way traffic for entering into Uni-Central housing estate and residents can use Jalan Uni-Central to exit?” she told DayakDaily when contacted today.
Furthermore, Kang pointed out that the co-proprietors who owned the land where the shortcut route cuts through have given their consent for the public to enter or exit the Uni-Central area.
“We heard that there is a proposed traffic light in front of Come Come Come Garden Nursery and if so, please build and install the traffic light first before closing the shortcut route,” she added.
Meanwhile, MPKS chairman Dato Peter Minos confirmed that the council has received the petition and has communicated with JKR on two occasions to find a solution to the issue.
“The JKR and contractor involved blocked or closed the shortcut citing traffic congestion at the roundabout as the primary reason. The council has suggested for a U-turn to be created at the Unimas traffic light to enable motorists to access the housing areas through (the road near) RHB Bank.
“The closure has affected thousands of residents, including myself, residing at Uni-Central, Uni-Garden and Taman Merdang Gayam which has at least 2,000 houses. It is for JKR to open the junction and MPKS has no authority to do so,” he said.
The numerous residents and businesses affected by the closure are unified in urging the authorities to take immediate action and reopen the shortcut route, emphasising the urgent need to restore smoother traffic flow and alleviate the inconvenience faced by the affected communities.
In a collective voice, they hope the authorities will prioritise their interests and are willing to have a meeting with them in devising a prompt solution to the ongoing issue. — DayakDaily
