A pothole on Jalan Belimbing, near the entrance to Taman Bukit Belimbing in Balakong.
BALAKONG residents are facing a bumpy ride, no thanks to the number of potholes along Jalan Belimbing, a main road there.
The damage is caused by heavy vehicles heading to an industrial area next to Taman Bukit Belimbing, said a resident, Vincent Raj.
He said Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) should change the signboard at the entry into Jalan Belimbing to display the names of residential areas there instead of the current one which reads, “Kawasan Perindustrian Kampung Baru Balakong” (Kampung Baru Balakong Industrial Zone).
“As a result of this, lorries and container trucks are using the residential road to reach the factories,” he told StarMetro.
“The factories have a separate entrance. Instead of entering Taman Bukit Belimbing, the heavy vehicles should continue straight for about 500m, where the main road to the factories branches off to the left.”
He claimed multiple complaints had been sent to MPKj via the official complaints portal but the issue has persisted.
According to him, there are about 1,000 houses in the vicinity and over 6,000 residents use the road daily.
“Whenever they patch up the potholes, the holes reappear within days. It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money,” he said.
Vincent also complained about poor upkeep of the neighbourhood.
“Drains along the road are filled with vegetation.
“They should be cleaned, especially during the monsoon season.”
MPKj Zone 5 councillor Jack Tan, when contacted, said contractors are told to patch up potholes when complaints are received.
He said that MPKj had patched up the road three to four times last year.
“I am aware of the potholes and have requested MPKj to patch them up.
“The council’s budget for 2024 has already been exhausted.
“We are now relying on the in-house road maintenance team to fix the issue.”
