KL to build fast lane for pedestrians
KUALA LUMPUR, DECEMBER 26 – In an effort to ease road congestion in the capital city, the local government has embarked on the construction of fast lanes for Kuala Lumpur’s sidewalks. The move, which is expected to commence in early 2010 and cost up to RM500 million, will start from the Bukit Bintang area and will branch out accordingly to outlying areas.
“For a very long time, we were getting a high amount of traffic occurring in the city centre, especially during the rush hour period. So we consulted with the departments in the council, and found out that 92 percent of the people wanted this,” Dato’ Ahmad Fuad Ismail, Kuala Lumpur’s Datuk Bandar was quoted as saying at the fast-lane opening ceremony yesterday. “It is also part of our dream to transform Kuala Lumpur into a pedestrian-friendly city.”
The ceremony was officiated by the Datuk Bandar making a brisk walk on the fast lane measuring 100 metres near the Twin Towers. Following the current highway model in most parts of the country, sidewalks across the city will be extended and divided into three different lanes, with the utmost right being painted green to signify the fast lanes.
The Datuk Bandar mentioned that pedestrians using the city’s sidewalks will have to follow the same direction as the cars on the street. “We cannot have people walking in multiple directions on the same sidewalk,” Ahmad said. “If we had the same thing happening on our country’s roads, there would be chaos. In the interest of public safety, people walking against the flow of traffic will be cautioned and told to take the other side of the road. Hence, we must follow the uniform direction and make sure that no untoward incidents take place.”
In order to enforce this upcoming addition, teams comprising of both uniformed and plainclothes council officers will be stationed at selected stretches to keep an eye on pedestrians who walk beyond the speed limit. Ahmad added that these teams will be armed with speed cameras, and that walkers using the fast lanes found to be traveling beyond the speed limit of 5 kilometres an hour will be subject to warnings from the police.
However, Ahmad mentioned that both the city council and police force will be considerably less lenient on runners using the city’s sidewalks. “We will not tolerate the activities of the mat runners,” the Datuk Bandar warned before stepping into his Mercedes-Benz. “If people wish to run, they should do so on the race track or face the consequences.”
Ahmad went on to say that anyone other than the police found running will be charged according to the City Walking Act 2008, and if citizens wished to partake in running activities, they would have to obtain a permit from the city council.
December 28th, 2009 at 1:08 am
You should have seen the one about Najib officiating the opening of the public toilet in Bukit Bintang.