CITY HALL is arranging to have the traffic lines repainted on Lorong Bunga Matahari in Likas, following mounting concern about the likelihood of accidents occurring on the stretch as drivers risk colliding with one another due to the absence of these demarcations.
The agency will also attend to the potholes, which had formed in the road, as well as the damaged sections of Lorong Telipok Jaya and the stretch behind the Women and Children’s Hospital.
A spokeswoman for City Hall’s Traffic and Transport Department said its Road Patching Gang (RPG) inspected the three roads, shortly after confirming that these stretches were under the agency’s jurisdiction.
“Our RPG personnel found that the asphalt was cracked in many places,” she said. “They noticed that depressions had formed in other parts of these roads.”
Where Lorong Bunga Matahari was concerned, she said, the Department’s staff observed that the white line running down the middle of the road could barely be seen, if not was missing altogether.
The spokeswoman said the government concessionaire was apprised of these observations and urged to have the necessary repairs made as soon as possible.
“If need be, we will write to the management about having the damaged sections resealed and the missing demarcations put back in place.”
In the case of the road near the Hospital, the spokeswoman said the agency was deliberating over how to address the ponding problem on this stretch.
“We are toying with the idea of having soil drains fashioned on the shoulders to channel away the liquid which has been pooling on the surface. Once we have decided how best to proceed, a contractor will be appointed to refurbish the road.”
ONG of Likas said drivers risked encroaching into the lane next to them because of the absence of the “white lines” on Lorong Bunga Matahari which spanned a distance of more than 620metres.
“This situation is especially dangerous at night or when there is downpour,” he said.
“I have witnessed motorists almost colliding with each other while leaving from work for the day on several occasions.”
He said there were only supposed to be two lanes of cars here at any time, at least according to the markings on the road.
“However, because these demarcations have faded or are not clear anymore, as many as three lanes of traffic form on the stretch.”
Ong had also noticed that some parts of the road were uneven and others were riddled with cracks which had split the asphalt. He related these irregularities to City Hall in May but, five months on, claimed that no action had been taken to deal with his grievance.
LING of Telipok, on the other hand, said Lorong Telipok Jaya – which ran behind a row of shophouses – was a source of frustration to many drivers.
“Pot holes along the edge which inconvenience those who want to park along the five-footway here,” he said. Ling said the condition of the road had gradually been deteriorating over the past few months.
Meanwhile, CYAN, who lives in Ujana Kingfisher, was under the impression that treated water might be seeping up from beneath a road behind the Hospital as the asphalt was frequently damp.
She said this had been occurring on and off for close to a year, so much so that a depression had formed at the affected section of the stretch.
“At one point, concrete was used to patch up this damage,” she said. “However, the relief we gained from this effort did not last very long.”
Cyan said the hole resurfaced at the same section of the stretch a few months later. The Water Department ruled out the possibility that the fluid was treated water.
A spokesman for the agency said a team from its Quality Section had tested a sample of this fluid.
“A chemical solution was added to the sample but it did not change colour as would have happened if chlorine was present,” he said.
“So, the fluid cannot be treated water. We suspect that it may be gravity water flowing down the slope nearby or it could be effluent.”
A Sewerage Services spokeswoman (SSD) said its technicians confirmed the presence of the clear fluid pooling on the road.
“However, they didn’t find any sewage-related structures, including manholes or pipes, on the road,” she said. “Owing to this, we strongly believe that this fluid cannot be sewage.”
The SSD was made to understand that the fluid had occasionally been seen on the stretch since November last year, according to her.
