Traffic congestion along the 2.5km stretch from Jalan Segambut Dalam to Jalan Kiara 3 recently. Residents say they have to put up with congestion from as early as 6.45am.
SEVERE traffic congestion and flash floods in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur, have left residents weary.
They say there is too much development along Jalan Segambut Dalam and Jalan Kiara 3 in Mont Kiara and not enough infrastructure to support it.
Both roads form a 2.5km stretch that connects a number of neighborhoods including Kampung Segambut Dalam, Bukit Segambut, Kampung Segambut Tengah, Taman Bukit Segambut and Mont Kiara.
Taman Bukit Segambut resident Angus Ng said traffic during rush hour was unbearable as it would take him close to an hour to reach Desa Sri Hartamas from home.
He said there were too many cars in the area and the roads had only one lane in each direction.
“Ongoing development along the area also means heavy vehicles ply the roads throughout the day.
“Things are also made worse in the mornings when parents send their children to school,” added Ng.
Federal Territory PKR Public Services and Complaints Bureau deputy chief Deric Teh said there were 21 existing high-rise buildings along the 2.5km stretch, with an estimated 7,010 units.
“The existing road system cannot support the daily traffic volume here.
A view of Jalan Segambut Dalam on Feb 24, after an hour-long downpour caused Sungai Keroh (beside the houses) to overflow.
“Six additional projects are coming up in the area, which will create an estimated 3,107 units in the next three years,” he said.
He add that the road was also used by residents from other areas like Kepong.
Teh said the Segambut road-widening project initiated over 10 years ago by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) included plans to widen parts of both roads, but had yet to start.
“Some roads in Segambut have been widened.
“However, a 1.3km portion that passes most of these developments along Jalan Segambut Dalam and Jalan Kiara 3 is still a traffic bottleneck,” he said.
He hoped that the authorities would not increase the plot ratios for new developments, because it would worsen the congestion as had happened in a few projects.
On the developments along Jalan Segambut Dalam and Jalan Kiara, Ng said there was a clear mismatch between the number of projects and the infrastructure.
“I hope the authorities can look at ways to improve the situation, such as planning an alternative drop-off point for the school and to link Jalan Kiara 3 to Jalan Duta Kiara to disperse some traffic,” he suggested.
On flash floods, he said an hour of downpour on Feb 24 caused Sungai Keroh to overflow onto Jalan Segambut Dalam, inundating about 400m of the road.
A Laman Damaisari resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said flash floods were not common and that its last occurrence was in 2019.
“There used to be dredging once a year to clear the riverbed of waste and sediment, but this has not been done for over a year,” he said.
Laman Damaisari property management representative Mesh Subra said that during the recent floods, water rose quicker than before, carrying dirt and debris towards residents’ houses and caused a number of power trips.
“The bunds placed along the guardrails by the river did little to stop the water from coming up, as some of them had been damaged.”
Teh said the bureau would be sending a memo to the Prime Minister’s Office on the recent floods and to voice the residents’ concerns about overdevelopment and congestion.
DBKL and the Drainage and Irrigation Department of Kuala Lumpur have not responded to requests for comments at press time.
