THE Kuala Langat Municipal Council (MPKL) and the district’s Public Works Department (JKR) need to take seriously the severe daily traffic congestion occurring in Banting due to the additional traffic lights along Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, even at minor junctions.
Due to the indifference and incompetence of those involved Banting folks get truly irritated early in the day when they drive to work as it takes them from 30 minutes to an hour to pass through a 3km stretch.
The traffic jam begins from the MPKL headquarters and the police station all the way to the Jugra Stadium junction and beyond.
One can see heavy vehicles going over the bridge at a snail’s space and belching black smoke causing heavy air pollution as well as congestion due to their slow movement which further worsens the problem.
This situation causes accident-prone conditions. The MPKL and the JKR are well aware of the problems as it is happening directly in front of their offices.
However, none from these departments wants to take the initiative to investigate the cause of the congestion and act on it for the sake of the long-suffering residents.
The decision-makers and officials from these departments should not cocoon themselves in their air-conditioned cubicles but must come out and see the daily difficulties of the motorists and townsfolk.
Poor planning and implementation by the authorities are contributing to the mess and the people are suffering due to this. There is a need for a nationwide JKR hotline telephone number as well as a complaints email to the Works Ministry or the state JKR.
Having observed the problems closely the only way to reduce the congestion is to limit the number of traffic light junctions and replace them with U-turns after broadening the main road.
There is no need to provide for a junction to every housing estate or government departments when a U-turn can do this more effectively and less problematically.
The state assemblyman, the MP and the MPKL councillors need to take proactive measures to help the residents as promised in the election manifestos.
Despite being aware of the problems no action has been forthcoming and it hurts the people and constituents who have placed so much hope on them to settle various local issues as they arise.
Banting town and the surrounding areas have witnessed major progress and urban development in the last few decades but infrastructure has not been upgraded. The same can be said for municipal services whereby the local authorities continue to remain aloof and indifferent despite numerous pressing problems that residents and the people face every day.
Despite the numerous appeals to upgrade or build a new hospital the government maintains a deafening silence over this crucial issue.
With the West Coast Expressway linking Banting and Taiping to be operational very soon, traffic from the highway and nearby roads will increase tremendously and the congestion in the Banting town and surrounding roads could result in a quagmire if not upgraded urgently.
It is hoped that the Selangor state government will provide more allocations for development and infrastructure to Banting to ensure that the town experiences all-round progress just like other cities and townships in Selangor. – May 6, 2025
Thomas Zacharia is a Focus Malaysia viewer.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Wikimedia Commons/Wiki Farazi
