KUCHING: There is no shortcut to easing traffic congestion as cities continue to grow.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof who made this much clear here Sunday said proposals to build elevated roads, underpasses or flyovers to ease traffic congestion must undergo comprehensive technical studies before any implementation can proceed
Having said that, he is confident the Public Works Department (JKR) and the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) would carry out detailed studies in Petra Jaya and other urban areas to identify the most suitable traffic solutions.
“The challenge is that the population and the number of vehicles continue to increase, while road infrastructure development takes time,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after presenting the RISE Outstanding Students Incentive Awards at SMK Sains Kuching Utara here.
Fadillah, who is Petra Jaya MP, said that traffic congestion is an inevitable challenge for growing cities, with increasing populations and vehicle numbers requiring long-term infrastructure solutions backed by thorough technical assessments.
Explaining, he said, every proposed road infrastructure project must, for instance, take into account existing underground utilities, as these can significantly affect project implementation.
Citing the Emart Matang roundabout as an example, Fadillah said previous JKR studies found that constructing an underpass at the location was not feasible due to the presence of major underground utilities, including water pipelines and electrical cables.
“Relocating these utilities would have a significant impact. Therefore, JKR has to come up with a new technical design, which requires more detailed studies,” he said.
Fadillah also defended the continued use of roundabouts at certain locations, saying they remain effective in slowing traffic flow while enhancing the urban landscape.
“If we simply build straight roads, we will only shift the traffic congestion to another location. Once one bottleneck is resolved, another will emerge elsewhere,” he said.
As an interim measure, he said local authorities and the traffic police have deployed traffic personnel at selected locations to better manage traffic flow while long-term infrastructure plans are being developed.
