Naidu pointing out a problem to Sugumaran (centre) as Ghani (right) looks on during the walkabout in Brickfields.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has come under fire for not being consistent in its enforcement against lawbreakers in Brickfields.
Residents and stakeholders claim the number of illegal hawkers and food truck operators had doubled over the past two months, causing the situation to get out of hand.
Besides occupying pedestrian walkways, hawkers also trade at traffic light junctions while food trucks are occupying parking bays, they said.
Following the barrage of complaints in the Brickfields community group chat which includes DBKL personnel, the local government’s Road Transport Department director Sugumaran Shanmugam and his team conducted a walkabout in the township.
They were accompanied by about 15 stakeholders from schools, religious institutions, Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), Alam Flora, Brickfields Rukun Tetangga and police.
Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Safe City KL secretariat and coordinator A. Ghani Mohamed said, “We started at Wisma MAB and ended at Jalan Rozario.
“DBKL and the police personnel were shocked to see so many motorists running the red light.
“Brickfields is supposed to be a blind-friendly township but hawker stalls and motorcycles are occupying the walkways and tactile blocks designed for the blind.”
Brickfields Rukun Tetangga chairman SKK Naidu said requests were made for DBKL to instal road humps and closed- circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
He said residents also called for the zebra crossings to be repainted and lay-bys to be created for dropping off and picking up schoolchildren.
“Due to the high number of traffic violations, we also requested for security bollards to be installed on the walkways to prevent cars from parking there.”
Sugumaran said the requests were being processed.
“They also requested safety signage in addition to making taxi and school bus lane markings more prominent.
“We will execute these plans soon,” he said.
Resident Gopi Krishnan said he was told that matters pertaining to hawkers encroaching onto walkways, parking bays and traffic lights fell under the purview of the Licensing Department.
“DBKL needs to work as a team and not in silo.
“There should have been representatives and decision-makers from DBKL’s Licensing Department, otherwise nothing will get resolved,” he said.
