The Sarawak Public Works Department (JKR Sarawak) must ensure road maintenance and repairs by contractors are done off-peak hours and NOT done during peak hours especially in main roads which has high traffic congestion.
This is in view of the massive traffic congestion yesterday at the already congested Kuching-Kota Samarahan caused by the repair works done during peak hours.
The massive traffic jams at peak hours at the three roundabouts are getting worse now with the raining season.
I received multiple complaints yesterday and even drove to the site to monitor and was myself caught in the jam at the roundabout near Tabuan Tranquility.
Some complained to me that it took them almost 3 hours from Badar Riyal to Hui Sing Garden due to the congestion, and many were late to pick their children from school because of the traffic jam yesterday.
I made an official report to the system and called the traffic police to help control the traffic to try reduce the congestion. This will be an issue I will also raise in Parliament to get the attention of the new Works Minister to give special priority to.
However the core issue is still the policies implemented by JKR and there should be a mechanism that they can impose it to contractors especially to compel them to do repair works only at off-peak hours, or even late at night when there is low traffic.
It is basically common sense, and is being done and implemented in most developed countries. So there is no reason that it cannot be implemented here in Malaysia.
On top of that, JKR Sarawak and Kota Samarahan Municipal council must ensure the upgrade and traffic light projects at the 3 roundabouts must be expedited and not delayed any longer.
We cannot accept any more excuses for the project delays and a sudden stoppage of work which has caused so much agony and inconvenience of the people of Kuching and Kota Samarahan.
There must be a special focus on this particular project to ensure it is expedited and completed as soon as possible without any delays.
Although, on a long-term better city planning is needed and more alternative route in those highly congested must be made on top of improvement of public transport system.
There are concerns that the traffic light upgrades at the roundabouts will not solve this problem, and I myself share such concerns.
So the approach towards this issue has to be multi-prong thinking of long-term, but at least at this moment, immediate short term actions can be taken.
That is where urgent steps and policies must be taken to alleviate the congestion on top of expediting the upgrading project in the area including a more long-term city planning solution for traffic congestion in these areas.