KUCHING, April 16: The current condition of the stretch of road from Jalan Sultan Iskandar to Jalan Kemena (opposite Public Works Department) will cause severe vehicle collisions due to high speeds if open rashly, says Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.
According to Tiong, who is the Bintulu MP, he has contacted the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA), the contractors involved, developers, and Public Works Department (JKR) to hold an urgent meeting on this matter, particularly to solve the problem of entry and exit from the Bukit Orang area.
“For the sake of people’s safety, there is no way the road as it is now should be opened to the public,” he said in a statement today.
Tiong pointed out that premature opening of the flawed road section does not comply with established policies as there has been no preliminary investigation, evaluation, and even transfer of ownership of the project, which completely disregards the safety of road users.
He also questioned who will take responsibility when accidents happen as the road closures have caused much inconvenience to the people in the area.
“Without proper road planning, it is undoubtedly a risk to human life to allow vehicles to move at such speeds.
“Due to this, my conscience vehemently prevents me from agreeing with opening the road now ‘just to be fast with the job’,” he added.
Tiong emphasise that road planning should put safety first and not compromise it in favour of convenience or to save time.
He said although an inconvenience for many people, road closures are a ‘necessary evil’ in order to ensure proper planning and safety.
“I urge all the authorities involved to focus on the right priorities and allow for more patience and time.
“Patience and time which are needed by the BDA, JKR, developers and contractors to draw up and agree on a proper road plan that can lead to greater road safety for road users,” he said. — DayakDaily
