Elizabeth Wong: Not feasible to acquire Jalan Tanjung land

Wong: Not feasible to acquire Jalan Tanjung land

IT IS not feasible for the Selangor state government to acquire the land to make Jalan Tanjung in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, a public road.

“A part of it belongs to the Bandar Utama developer but three quarters of it belong to the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM),” said Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong during the launch of the Youth for Change programme at the 1 Utama Shoping Centre on Saturday.

It was recently announced that the road, which served as entrance and exit points for motorists travelling between Bandar Utama and Tropicana, would be closed.

For all to see: A signboard informing motorists that Jalan Tanjung would be turned into a one-way street for cars coming out of Tropicana starting from Nov 20.

Wong said proposals had already been submitted for expansion work on the Sprint and NKVE highways that run parallel to the road.

“Tropicana developer Dijaya Corporation should undertake the social responsibility to conduct a traffic study in the area as it has several developments there,” she said.

Wong said exit points were already available for residents in that area, with the approved one being the exit going out to BU11.

She added that about 20 new projects were expected to come up in the area and the developers of the current and upcoming projects should look into alternative routes.

Wong said the more sensible approach would be to find an access to get onto the NKVE.

Cause for concern: A bird’s eye view of the Lebuh Bandar Utama bridge. Traffic is usually busy during rush hour with cars coming in from the Sprint Highway using the ramp (top right) and cars coming from Aman Suria and Kampung Chempaka from the right of the bridge.

She also stressed that the ultimate solution was public transport and not to build more roads.

Bandar Utama Development Sdn Bhd director Datuk Teo Chiang Kok said the road was initially used as a service road when construction of the Tropicana area began 12 years ago.

“We initially agreed to let them use the road for two years but it has gone on for 12 years,” said Teo.

He said during the meetings held with residents, many of the residents association representatives had agreed to the implementation of a one-way traffic coming out of Tropicana for six months.

“The area behind Bandar Utama is four to five times bigger in terms of density and the traffic from there was never meant to spill into Bandar Utama,” said Teo.

Dijaya Corporation Berhad executive director C.H. Quek acknowleged that there was an agreement signed between the two parties to use the land belonging to Bandar Utama Development Sdn Bhd as a temporary access.

“We have completed the permanent access (Persiaran Tropicana) but it was originally only meant to cater to traffic from our development. Circumstances have changed since then and traffic in the area has increased from the many developments in the area. Even motorists from Kota Damansara and Sg Buloh are using the roads to get to Bandar Utama,” said Quek.

He said the permanent access through Persiaran Tropicana should be an addition to the Jalan Tanjung access and not a replacement in view of the additional developments that had mushroomed.

He added that it was unlikely that PLUS or the LLM would use the highway reserve for widening work because there was a constriction beneath the Lebuh Bandar Utama bridge with only two lanes heading towards Damansara, and there would be a bottleneck from the six lanes at the toll plaza.

He added that for the sake of public interest, the road should remain a public road as the part belonging to Bandar Utama amounted to only a small area of about 800sq metres.

Quek said although the traffic light system would be reduced by one phase (from Jalan Tanjung), when the road was closed, the green time for traffic heading towards Centrepoint from BU11 would need to be increased to cater to the additional traffic so the waiting time for other cars remain unchanged.

A PLUS Highway spokesman said they did not have any plans to extend their Damansara toll plaza.

Source : STAR

[tags : opaldamansara condo property home residents sunway semid condominium ODJMC]

Most residents against road closure

AMAN Suria Residents Association chairman Wendy Chan feels that Jalan Tanjung should remain open.

“The problem of the Tropicana tunnel has just been solved and when Jalan Tanjung closes, the tunnel will pose another problem as the traffic will spill into BU11 and BU12,” said Chan.

She said many people used the road as an alternative to go to Kota Damansara and Sunway Damansara.

“Those staying in TR1 would have to make a big turn just to go home. It will also be a nightmare for parents who are sending their children to the SRJK(C) Damansara,” she said.

SRJK (C) Damansara board chairman Michael Tang said the road closure would have affect the school as there would be no holding area for parents’ cars.

“There is a road divider there now and if they close the road, parents won’t be able to turn into the school,” he said.

Tang added that it would be difficult for parents from areas like Damansara Utama, Damansara Jaya and Bandar Utama to send their children to school.

Bandar Utama Residents Association chairman Datuk Manpal Singh said the residents of Bandar Utama had no objection over the road closure.

He said the move would help to ease the traffic congestion in Bandar Utama.

“There are no objections so far from the area committee of BU11 and BU12.

“We don’t think traffic spilling into these areas will be significant,” he said.

Source : STAR

[tags : opaldamansara condo property home residents sunway semid condominium ODJMC]

Residents Against Road Closure

A NOTICE announcing the closure of Jalan Tanjung in Bandar Utama has residents in the area up in arms.

The road serves as an entrance and exit point for motorists travelling between Bandar Utama and Tropicana.

The road was also frequently used by motorists from Bandar Utama and Tropicana to get to and from Kota Damansara and Sunway Damansara via Persiaran Surian.

Tropicana Residents Association vice-president Mohamed Shukri Zain said they were in the process of collecting about 6,000 signatures from residents in the area, including Sunway Damansara, Sunway Opal, Damansara Lagenda and Riana Green Condominiums.

One way only: A signboard informing motorists that Jalan Tanjung will be turned into a one-way street for cars coming out of Tropicana starting Nov 26. Motorists are advised to use Persiaran Bukit Utama as an alternative road into Tropicana

“Many of the residents do not want the road to be closed. We will be meeting the mayor (Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman) to hand over a petition,” said Shukri, who is heading the action committee.

He said that even though the road was owned by the Bandar Utama developer, it was a matter of public interest as many other people used the road besides Tropicana residents.

“When the agreement was made between the developers of Tropicana and Bandar Utama to temporarily use the road as an access, there were no other residential areas.

“But, over the years, many other developments have sprung up,” Shukri said.

He said the main access through the Tropicana tunnel would not be able to cope with the traffic if Jalan Tanjung was closed.

“It would merely shift the congestion from that junction to the BU11 junction,” he said.

He said that in the interest of public convenience, residents were calling for the state government to acquire the land under the Land Acquisition Act 1960.

Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) public relations officer Zainun Zakaria said the notification signboard to change the traffic flow to one-way was put up by the developer, not the council.

“So far, the council has not made any decision on the road closure. Any decision would have to go through the Infrastructure and Traffic sub-committee,” she said.

She added that the council would discuss the feasibility of acquiring the land for public use.

The sub-committee is scheduled to meet on Nov 11.

STAR

[tags : opaldamansara condo property home residents sunway semid condominium ODJMC]

Jalan Tropicana : ONE WAY STREET by 20 November 2009

This is the latest updated signage by MBBJ. The signage clearly shows that the road will be turned to a ONE WAY Traffic (Going out from Tropicana) passing the old Sony Building to the junction leading to Bandar Utama.

There is also an article of this in the Malay Mail :

More traffic chaos

Submitted by pekwan on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Closure of Bandar Utama road will be a nightmare for 20,000 users, say residents

Teoh El Sen

THE closure of Jalan Tanjung Bandar Utama, a major artery linking Bandar Utama with several Tropicana developments, has raised residents’ concern of a chaotic traffic situation if nothing is done to prevent it.

They say if the developer is allowed to close the road, some 20,000 people in the area will be forced to drive an extra four kilometres to access the area — a circumvention that may take up to an hour, which now takes just 15 minutes.

The closure to take place on a 800sq-m plot of land at the traffic junction exiting to Lebuh Bandar Utama will also render some 1.5km of State-owned road useless, they say.

Land owner Bandar Utama City Corporation Sdn Bhd (BUCC) has told residents the exit/ entrance would be converted to a one-way exit from Nov 20 and would be closed six months after that.

Residents from 19 associations and groups in Zone 4, including those from Kota Damansara and Sunway Damansara, have formed an action group against the closure.

Action group chairman Mohamed Shukri Zain said residents are hoping the ramp would remain open with the intervention of the Petaling Jaya City Council or the State government.

“We are hoping to meet with the PJ mayor to learn the council’s stand on this issue. Our call is for the government to acquire this road in the rakyat’s interest to solve this worrying situation,” he said, adding that a signature campaign has been started on a memorandum to be sent to PJ mayor Mohamad Roslan Sakiman and Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

Shukri said the Land Acquisition Act 1960 allows the State authority to purchase land for public purposes.

“We were told by BUCC director Datuk Teo Chiang Kok that the closure is to reduce traffic congestion in Bandar Utama. But, it will cause massive traffic jams on the alternative road in and out of this area and affect a lot of people.”

PJ city traffic consultant Goh Bok Yen has reportedly admitted to this problem and had suggested the land acquisition but no decision has been made so far.

It is understood that a 1993 agreement between BUCC and Dijaya Corporation Bhd, the developer for Tropicana, provides for the piece of land to be taken back after Dijaya completes a tunnel link.

News Source

[tags : opaldamansara condo property home residents sunway semid condominium ODJMC]

Opal JMB Committee Members (as of 1 Oct 2009)

The Opal Damansara Joint Management Committee Members as of 1 Oct 2009 are as follows:


Name / Position


Chang Wing Hoh - Chairman

Soon Chee Hung - Secretary

Donald Kwok - Treasurer



Members


Aaron Ong

Allan Loi

Daniel Sim

Elin Lim

Joyce Shia

Lisa Lew

Pek Chee Hen

Ramlee Mahat

Rohaya Abd. Rahman

[tags : opaldamansara condo property home residents sunway semid condominium ODJMC]

Meeting Minutes on closure of Sony Link on 9 September 2009 (Bandar Utama / Tropicana area)

The below are the recent minutes at MBPJ on the discussion of a proposal to either close or make the road (passing the old Sony Building - near Bandar Utama / Tropicana) into a one way street.

Please read the minutes below and also the conclusion at the bottom. Looks like things will change as of 20 November 2009.

Meeting on closure of Sony Link on 9/9/09 @ 4pm

NOTES:
The meeting was attended by YB Elizabeth Wong, MBPJ, Traffic Consultant (MAG) and RA or JMB or MC from Tropicana, Tropicana Indah, SJK (C ) Damansara, Riana Green, Sunway Sutera, Kota Damansara and Sunway Damansara.

Traffic Consultant – Mr. Goh Bok Yen briefed the meeting
• The proposed closure of Sony Link was not made known to MAG until the traffic committee of MBPJ being told about this on 24/3/09.
• The data on traffic flow during peak hours was based on 2008 survey. No study has been done on the impact of traffic in the area in the event of road closure.
• The link in front of Sony Link is now 80% overloaded, during peak hours there are 1,500 – 1,600 vehicles using the link. Even the proposed alternative road would not be able to take the capacity by year 2020. In year 2020, traffic in this area would be 80% overloaded.
• 38 schemes had been approved + ongoing and only 4 has been completed in this area.
• He was not able to recommend anything or propose for alternative as he was not appointed by anybody to do the study on the impact of its closure.


Dato’ Teoh (Bandar Utama)
• The link will be converted into 1 way to exit only, and enter through Persiaran Bukit Utama for 6 months; then it will be closed permanently.
• MBPJ shall find an alternative road to resolve the traffic problem.


Tropicana Residents’ Association commented
• The link shall not be closed and shall maintain the status quo on traffic flow as the affected traffic will be diverted into Persiaran Tropicana.


Bandar Utama Residents’ Association commented
• To maintain the status quo on traffic flow.
• They are agreeable to convert the link into 1 way i.e. for entry only, not exit.
• The developers in this area shall find an alternative road.
SJK (C ) Damansara
• To maintain the status quo on traffic flow.

Sunway Damansara Residents’ Association commented
• RA will not be happy on the closure of road, and shall maintain the status quo on traffic flow.


Riana Green Joint Management Body commented
• The closure will affect the residents of Riana Green, and shall maintain the status quo however they have no objection to convert the link into 1 way for 6 months until traffic study is done.


Sunway Sutera Joint Management Body commented
• The closure will affect the residents, and shall maintain the status quo. Hope that an alternative road will be created.


Casa Tropicana Joint Management Body commented
• To maintain the status quo on traffic flow.


Tropicana Indah Residents’ Association commented
• To maintain the status quo on traffic flow but have no objection to convert the link into 1 way.


Friends of Kota Damansara commented
• To maintain the status quo on traffic flow.




Conclusion
• Y.B. Elizabeth Wong stressed that the link is a private land and the state government has no intention of acquiring the land. Developers and MBPJ shall study and find an alternative road.
• MBPJ informed that RTPJ 2 will be ready in October 2009, and the residents may make objection on the draft plan.
• Dato’ Teoh’s informed that the link will be converted 1 way traffic for a period of 6 months effective 20 Nov 09 and MBPJ shall come out with alternative plan within 6 months. BU will arrange adequate notice for public awareness on the closure of the road.


Meeting adjourned at 5.30pm.

Prepared by
HC Ho

[tags : opaldamansara condo property home residents sunway semid condominium ODJMC]

LRT in Kota Damansara - Cheras

More than a million Klang Valley residents stand to benefit from the extension and new light rail transit lines announced in Budget 2009, a three-fold increase from current levels.

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (SPNB) said with the new level of public transport usage, the country could save as much as RM3bil in fuel costs.

The construction of a new 42km Kota Damansara-Cheras LRT line as well as extensions to the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT lines were announced as part of measures to develop public transport under the Budget.

Other measures include the purchase of more trains and buses.

The initiatives will cost a total of RM35bil.

SPNB chief executive officer, Shaipudin Shah Harun, said the first train from the 35 trains that were ordered for the Kelana Jaya LRT line would be operational by September next year.

Speaking to reporters at a special post-budget briefing yesterday, Shaipudin said all the trains, which were ordered in 2006, would be ready by 2011 while the 15km extensions to the Kelana Jaya and Ampang lines would also be ready at about the same time.

“The extensions are now at the detailed design stage and we need about a year for land acquisition,” he said.

Shaipudin said the detailed design stage for the new 42km Kota Damansara-Cheras line would happen by the second quarter of next year adding that this new line would have 32 stations, five of which would be underground.

Source

[tags : opaldamansara condo property home residents sunway semid condominium ODJMC]