KUALA LUMPUR — The Taman Tun Dr Ismail Residents Association (TTDIRA), together with environmental group Friends of Bukit Kiara (FoBK), has submitted a petition containing 2,458 signatures to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), urging action over traffic congestion and environmental protection concerns linked to developments around Bukit Kiara.
The petitions were handed over to Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud on Thursday (May 7), following a petition drive launched during a residents’ town hall on April 12, 2026.
Residents are calling for two key measures: the permanent closure of the KLGCC Resort back exit road into TTDI and the implementation of a no-development buffer zone around Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara.
Concerns over traffic impact
Under the first petition, residents are seeking the permanent closure of the Sime Darby Property KLGCC Resort back exit road connecting to Changkat Abang Haji Openg in TTDI.
They argued that TTDI’s roads are already heavily congested during peak hours and warned that traffic from existing and future KLGCC developments would further strain routes such as Changkat Abang Haji Openg, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad and Jalan Datuk Sulaiman.
TTDIRA chairman Abu Hafiz said the community fears the growing number of vehicles from the KLGCC area will worsen congestion in TTDI.
“Once all the KLGCC Resort projects are completed, the daily number of internal KLGCC vehicles will likely exceed 6,000, possibly even more,” he said.
“TTDI was never designed to handle the massive volume of vehicles coming from KLGCC Resort and beyond.”
The statement also noted that TTDI was planned and developed in the 1970s as a standalone township, while the KLGCC Golf Club and resort were established later in the 1990s.
Residents further stressed that the narrow two-lane Longhouse/Temple Road on Changkat Abang Haji Openg was originally designed as a service road and not as a major thoroughfare.
Push for stronger environmental protection
The second petition calls for a mandatory protection buffer zone of between 350m and 500m around Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara.
Residents and FoBK objected to developments located too close to the forest reserve, citing threats to biodiversity, drainage systems and environmentally sensitive areas.
Among the concerns raised were risks to documented firefly habitats, ecological damage caused by land clearing and construction activities, as well as increased flood and slope instability risks around the Bukit Kiara catchment area.
FoBK secretary Clinton Ang said the proposed development by Sime Darby Property is located near known firefly hotspot areas documented by environmental groups and researchers.
“The firefly habitats in this area are a highly unique natural phenomenon and not easily found elsewhere, whereas one can always build a condo anywhere,” he said.
He also claimed that previous water tank works carried out between 2023 and 2024 had already negatively affected firefly populations in the area.
“Based on that experience, the proposed condo development, if allowed to proceed, is likely to devastate this amazing natural phenomenon that Malaysians have been gifted with,” he added.
The groups also acknowledged DBKL’s recent decision to impose a permanent 300m buffer zone on proposed KLGCC Resort developments at Parcels A and B adjoining Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara.
The announcement was made by the mayor on May 2, 2026, following appeals raised during the April 12 town hall attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh and DBKL representatives.
According to the statement, residents are now seeking proper documentation and enforcement of the buffer zone, particularly for the affected KLGCC parcels bordering Bukit Kiara.
The groups said the 2,458-signature petition serves as a formal record of public support for both the road closure and the establishment of the buffer zone, while urging DBKL to ensure follow-through on both matters. — May 8, 2026