Pedestrians going to the LRT station have to share the overhead bridge with motorcyclists, which poses a risk. — CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
RESIDENTS of 1Razak Mansion in Jalan Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur, want a sheltered walkway to be built that connects a bus stop in front of their homes to nearby Salak Selatan LRT station in Jalan 4/108a.
According to them, the current walking route was unsafe for pedestrians as it exposed them to snatch thieves as well as traffic accidents.
Although there is an overhead bridge with a ramp on the Sungai Besi Expressway (Besraya), it is used by both motorcyclists and pedestrians.
“It is a case of being so close yet so far,” said Bukit Bintang Muda Public Policy advisor Han Jun Siew, referring to the first-and-last mile connectivity issue.
Han and his team are helping the residents to get their concerns addressed by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
“Firstly, the bridge and ramp are simply not safe for use to get to the LRT station, which is only 10 to 15 minutes away.
“The feeder bus also takes too long, which adds to the hazard. Many residents are forgoing public transport altogether and are either driving or taking ehailing rides,” he said.
The majority of the residents, who are aged 60 and above, are concerned about safety.
Long-time 1Razak Mansion resident Tan Yew Choo, 68, said the bus should come regularly or there should be the option to walk safely to the LRT station about 1km away.
Another resident, Sharon Leong, 50, said some people could not wait 30 minutes for a bus and did not feel safe using the bridge.
Han said although there were separate entrances for pedestrians and motorcyclists, the lanes for each merge on the bridge, exposing pedestrians to the risk of being hit by a motorcycle.
Caven Leong, 46, said once residents made it across the bridge, they had to walk along the busy Besraya highway or an uneven grassy patch next to a drain.
“The brave can try their luck dicing with danger, but the elderly folk have no choice but to wait for a feeder bus or take a taxi or ehailing service,” said Leong.
1Razak Mansion Joint Management Body 1 chairman Anthony Tan said schoolchildren from SJK (C) Tai Thung were at risk and the government was constructing another school next to it.
He said that once people moved in to Razak Residences later this year, the population would go up 10-fold.
The condominium project consists of 5,600 units, next to 1Razak Mansion (658 units).
Tan predicted that these residents would also opt to drive or take ehailing rides to their destinations because of the hassle involved in taking public transport, which would bring more cars into the area and parking on the roadside.
He said this defeated the purpose of encouraging people to take public transport.
Tan said he wrote to DBKL to request a proper walkway in July last year but was informed that it was not a suitable place to build a sheltered facility.
“DBKL’s Urban Transportation Department said the area was too close to a highway and that it had applied to Public Works and Drainage Department to build a non-sheltered walkway to the bridge instead,” he said.
When contacted, a DBKL spokesperson said it would look into the matter again to see if there were any updates, and requested for more time to study the matter.
Pedestrians going to the LRT station have to share the overhead bridge with motorcyclists, which poses a risk. — CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
Residents living at Razak Mansion say they sometimes have to wait up to 30 minutes for a feeder bus to arrive.
Han says the bridge and ramp are not safe, plus the feeder bus takes too long to arrive.
