Worsening Congestion In Taman Mayang Jaya
By TAN KARR WEI
karrwei@thestar.com.my Photos by CHAN TAK KONG
A FAR cry from the peaceful neighbourhood it used to be, living in Taman Mayang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, is becoming a hassle because of the worsening traffic congestion.
Residents fear that a new hawker centre built along SS26/9, on what was previously a buffer zone between the commercial and light industrial area, could add to their problems.
Resident Johnny Tong, 54, who has been staying in the area for over 20 years, said there was already lack of parking spaces at the commercial centre, which currently houses, among others, several coffee shops and two colleges.
“We were initially told by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) that there will be 56 stalls at the hawker centre with two seating areas. We protested against the development because it was being built on a buffer zone but they went ahead with it,” said Tong.
He said the hawker centre has been reduced to 36 stalls but a two-storey structure is still being constructed next to the hawker centre and residents have not been informed of the purpose of the structure.
“Right now, we have problems getting out of our houses because there are so many cars parked along the road,” he said.
Tong added that Taman Mayang Jaya residents have had to deal with congestion problems for several years because of a school in the area.
Thomas Koo and Simon Ang, who run a coffee shop and pharmacy respectively in the area, feared that the hawker centre would add to the congestion in the area.
“Right now, there is already lack of parking for our customers. To make matters worse, cars are double parked along the roads, making it hard for cars to pass through,” said Koo, who has been operating the coffee shop for almost 20 years.
When contacted, MBPJ councillor overseeing the Taman Mayang Jaya area Tiew Way Keng said the approval for the project was given at the end of 2007.
She said it was approved as a build-and-transfer project where the developer would determine and collect the rental for 15 years with a renewal option of five years.
“Residents were against the project so we have had several rounds of discussions with them. The number of stalls have been reduced to accommodate the residents’ requests. Besides, the food court was originally built to house the illegal hawkers and there were only about 20 that were operating on the buffer zone.
“The developer will be required to upgrade the road and paint back the parking lots after they have completed but we are asking them to do it as soon as they can to address the lack of parking space,” explained Tiew.
She said they were also looking into converting the traffic system into a one-way flow, as agreed by the residents.
The issue will be brought up during the council’s traffic sub-comittee meeting this month.
A spokesperson for the company developing the food court said the congestion in the area has been bad before the food court was built, but mostly only during the lunch hours from noon to 2pm.
“We are catering mostly to the working crowd and residents in this area,” he said.
He confirmed there would be a restaurant and retail outlets at the two-storey structure and that the road around the area would be converted to a one-way flow.
“We will be upgrading the roads and painting the parking bays. Customers who come to the restaurant at night can park at the light industrial area on the other side of our building. The area is empty at night and we have installed lights to make it safer for people,” he said