DBKK plans to improve Phase One Jln Tun Fuad cycle-cum-jogging track
Published on: Thursday, February 29, 2024
By: Sidney Skinner
Members of the RPG crew painting the warning signs on the surface of the damaged section of the track.
CITY HALL plans to improve Phase One of the cycle-cum-jogging track along Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens as and when it secures the funding to do so.
Phase One of the track extends for 4.3km from the grounds for the “Tamu KPD (Rural Development Corporation’s Weekly Market)” to the mouth of the Darau River, which runs beneath the Sabah Foundation Bridge.
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The agency was responding to feedback from four track-users about the safety hazards posed by the damaged surface of the pavement on which they cycled, ran or went for a walk.
Some of them claimed that the condition of the track had gradually been deteriorating for years.
A spokesman for City Hall’s Traffic and Transport Department (TTD) said it had put together a plan for rehabilitating the track and restoring the faded markings on the surface.
“This proposal will be used to try and source for an allocation to upgrade Phase One of the track,” he said.
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“We are hoping to get some help from either a local politician or the Ministry for this endeavour.”
Landscaping staff check on the roots of a tree which has given rise to the cracks in this part of the track.
In the meantime, he said, City Hall had been taken steps to make the public more aware of the more damaged sections of the track.
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“We noticed that the surface had split in several places, with cracks running up the width of the green pavement material.
“Our road-patching gang (RPG) had ‘X’s and the word ‘Awas (Caution)’ painted over some of these danger spots.”
He said this was done to ensure that those going on foot did not twist their ankles or trip and fall while going over these areas
“Likewise, we don’t want cyclists to end up injuring themselves if their bikes tip over.”
When asked how often the track was maintained, the spokesman said the annual budget set aside for this work only allowed minor repairs to be made at best.
He explained that Phase Two of the track ran along Jalan Coastal from the Tanjung Aru traffic light intersection to Imago Shopping Mall, while Phase Three stretched from the State Administrative Complex to the Universiti Malaysia Sabah traffic light intersection.
“This is the reason we are trying to get additional funds. We want to have more substantial repairs made from one end of the Phase One track to the other.
“We do what we can with what we have, when it is warranted and when our RPG crew can get down to it.
“The crew has eight personnel who accord priority to attending to irregularities involving those roads under our jurisdiction.”
Given the extensiveness of City Hall’s rating area, he said this was not an easy task.
“Our RPG crew cannot be everywhere at once, which is why we rely on feedback from our Landscaping peers when it comes to any problems at Phase One of the track.
“The public can also assist us in this regard by reporting any irregularities with the track directly to City Hall.”
On the presence of the cracks which had been “X-ed out”, the spokesman said this damage had been caused by the roots of the trees in this part of the track.
He said the TTD was working together with the agency’s Landscaping Department to try and deal with this problem.
A spokesman for the latter said a Landscaping team was sent to assess the condition of the trees in question, shortly after the Department was contacted by the media.
“We want to save as many of these trees as possible,” he said. “Only
those which are diseased or have compromised root systems will be removed.”
He said the Landscaping Department did not intend to rush into chopping down this greenery.
“We could cut out just those roots that are damaging the surface of the track but, if we resorted to doing this, there is a possibility that the trees might topple over later on down the line.
“Because of this, we want to suggest that the structural design of the track be modified in some way to accommodate the growth of the root systems of the trees that are there, many of which were planted years ago.”
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