KUALA LUMPUR – Nearly 50,000 residents in Taman Medan are urging the Selangor government to speed up the approval for the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) development, seeing that at least nine of the roads in the area have been choked with traffic, especially during peak hours.
They are also in support of the original alignment of the elevated highway, saying that if it bypasses certain areas in Petaling Jaya, Taman Medan residents will have to endure prolonged congestion.
Taman Medan residents association coalition spokesman Mohamed Dollah said in a statement that motorists from Old Klang Road have been using the residential roads to head to Puchong and Kesas Highway, as well as causing heavy traffic in Jalan Templer and Jalan Gasing – wreaking havoc on the daily lives of residents.
“By facilitating smooth travel and accessibility, PJD Link has the potential to stimulate economic growth, increase employment opportunities and prosperity of Taman Medan.
“Our support for infrastructure projects such as this needs to be voiced because what is reported in the media is only objections by some parties,” said Mohamed, who is also chairman of Persatuan Kebajikan Blok A, Pangsapuri Permai.
He said new commercial and property development in Taman Medan has added to make the traffic congestion worse, exacerbated by heavy vehicles plying the residential roads.
“The PJD Link project announced a few years ago gave hope to the residents of Taman Medan, as it is expected to solve congestion issues by dispersing traffic, upgrading roads and infrastructure in the surrounding areas.
“This improvement can directly improve the quality of life of residents in Taman Medan.”
Roads that are seeing worsening congestion are Jalan Medan 10, Jalan Besar PJS 2, Jalan Besar PJS 3, Jalan Besar PJS 4, Jalan PJS 1/25 Sri Manja, Jalan PJS 3/23, Jalan 2C/17, Jalan PJS 2 and Jalan PJS 3/40.
The association coalition is made up of:
• Persatuan Penduduk Blok M, Jalan PJS 1/21;
• Persatuan Penduduk Blok E, Medan Cahaya;
• Persatuan Penduduk Blok F, Medan Cahaya; and
• Persatuan Penduduk Blok A dan Pangsapuri Permai.
The Selangor government had scrapped the PJD Link before the state election in August last year, but it is understood that PLAN Malaysia Selangor has approved the project’s social impact assessment (SIA).
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari has said the developer’s SIA states support for the highway from Taman Medan and Kinrara residents, while Petaling Jaya residents opposed it.
Because of divided opinion, he said the developer could realign the highway to avoid passing through areas where residents reject it – but this would mean renegotiating with the federal government which had approved it in principle.
Last month, Selangor infrastructure and agriculture exco Izham Hashim told Scoop the proposed highway has not been cancelled but is delayed as the state government waits for information from PJD Link about revised plans for the alignment.
The PJD Link, with 11 interchanges, would connect Bandar Utama to Bukit Jalil, as a means to disperse traffic and reduce traffic congestion within Petaling Jaya. – March 18, 2024