RM25mil To Reduce Traffic In Shah Alam - MBSA

The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has announced a comprehensive traffic masterplan outlining a three-phase approach to reducing traffic woes in the city by 30%.

According to Shah Alam deputy mayor Cheremi Tarman, Phase 1 of the masterplan will cost approximately RM25 million to address the city's growing traffic congestion and create a more efficient and systematic transportation network. The Star reported that the first phase, which is scheduled to start in 2025, will concentrate on temporary fixes that don't call for complicated procedures or land acquisition.

This involves filling in the gaps, like finishing off incomplete road connections like the one that joins Bukit Jelutong and Bukit Cherakah. Then there is the upgrading of important roads, such as Persiaran Kewajipan, to enhance traffic flow.

Cheremi added that in order to relieve traffic on the current routes, a 22.3 km middle-ring road was also constructed during this phase. Additionally, 81 road intersections will be upgraded in order to maximize traffic flow at important crossroads.

For the record, MBSA was the first local government in Selangor to start a masterplan of this kind with the goal of establishing a methodical and effective traffic control system.

“The first phase comprises the short-term traffic plan that will start in 2025 while the second phase takes place in 2030 and the third in 2035,” he said during a town hall session of the traffic masterplan presentation at a hotel in Klang.

He emphasised how urgent it was to secure funding for this critical phase and said that, pending state approval, MBSA was looking into options like requesting aid from the federal and state governments and utilising the reserve fund of the city council.

According to Cheremi, the traffic management plan included expanding the use of already-existing infrastructure, enhancing user safety, lowering carbon dioxide emissions to protect the environment, and putting into practice interchangeable road designs that were both affordable and beneficial in the long run.

Hanif Basree Abdul Rahman, acting director of the MBSA Engineering Department, reported that more than half of the 98 locations surveyed during the morning and evening rush hours showed critical traffic conditions. Of the numbers, 52 locations indicated a critical situation with excessive delays and travel times, and 13 locations indicated severe congestion.

"approximately 79,441 and 79,106 vehicles entered the city during morning and evening rush hours respectively, and 80,848 and 87,326 vehicles exited Shah Alam during those times." Hanif added.