Three contra-flow lanes to be added in Kuala Lumpur from July 3 to help ease traffic congestion – Loke – paultan.org

The transport ministry has announced that it has agreed with Kuala Lumpur city hall’s (DBKL) proposal to implement contra-flow lanes at three locations in KL from July 3 to ease traffic congestion.

Transport minister Anthony Loke said the first contra-flow lane will run from the Sungai Besi toll plaza to the Besraya intersection, and will cover a distance of 2.4 km. The lane will be accessible to all private vehicles except motorcycles.

The second is an extension of an existing contra-flow lane southbound from Jalan Maharajalela to Taman Connaught to a four km stretch. Like with the Sg. Besi-Besraya contra-flow route, the lane will be open to all private vehicles except motorcycles.

The third contra-flow lane will be a three km-stretch on Jalan Ampang, from Ampang Point to Jalan Tun Razak. Unlike the two other contra-flow plans, this one can only be accessed by public transport vehicles, namely buses, Loke said, adding that authorities will take action against those utilising the lane in private vehicles.

Loke said the contra-flow lanes would be activated during peak traffic hours from 6 am to 9 am and from 5 pm to 7 pm. There will be no structural changes in the implementation of the contra-flow lanes, with cones being used along the route to mark the designated lanes.

He added that the longer timeframe until implementation is to let the stakeholders involved make necessary preparations, as The Star reports. “Guidelines will be drawn up by the Malaysian institute of road safety research (MIROS) to ensure these measures can be carried out efficiently. Other measures will continue to be studied collectively before they are implemented,” he said.

The minister acknowledged that these measures were a short-term fix, what with at least six million cars moving around within the Kuala Lumpur area on a daily basis, not including surrounding areas such as Petaling Jaya.

“During peak hours from 6 am to 9 am, 2.2 million cars traverse the city and this is the reality. In the long term, we hope to change attitudes while also improving public transport systems and encouraging its use,” he said.

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