RANAU: Road congestion especially during festive season and weekends continue to plague road users here, whereby a route that usually takes 20 minutes can now take two hours.
Residents feel since the matter comes under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, it must no longer ignore it.
The congestion from the Kundasang/ Paginatan/Karanaan area towards Pekan Ranau was even blamed by a family for their father dying due to being unable to reach the hospital in time for dialysis treatment.
In another incident, recently, a family’s balik kampung trip to Lahad Datu ended in a nightmare after their vehicle fell into a gorge on Randagong-Himban Road, Komburongo Ranau.
This is the alternative route taken by many to beat the jam on the main road.
Congestion in Pekan Kundasang and Pekan Ranau is not a normal phenomenon but now involves rows of vehicles moving inch by inch for tens of kilometres. It is a hot topic in social media sites and most wanted this matter to be dealt with by the authorities.
Kundasang Ranau Tourism and Culture Association Chairman Datuk Japiril Suhaimin (pic) said this has been happening since 2015 but still no action was taken during the 10 years.
He urged that the Pan Borneo highway crossing Ranau be completed sooner.
“Was the 10-year period not enough to plan, approve and find allocations to upgrade roads?” he asked.
Road users who travel from Kinabalu National Park take one hour 45 minutes to reach Kundasang Town, which is only five kilometers away.
Even the journey from Ranau to Kundasang can take four hours despite being only 15km apart, while the journey from Tamparuli to Kundasang which is usually only one hour, now takes four hours.
“This kind of congestion indicated how many are using the Jalan Kundasang Ranau because this is the main route from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, Telupid, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau.
“This kind of congestion happens often, especially during festive holidays, school holidays and weekends.
There are those who missed their flights because some of those traveling to Ranau are tourists from Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Brunei.
“We sympathise with the small children and the elderly who are hungry and have trouble finding a place to urinate when they are stuck in this traffic jam,” he said.
Japiril stressed that a thorough solution needs to be made and cannot be delayed any longer because the number of cars and the population is increasing.
“This means that in the coming year more people will continue to come to visit Kundasang and more people will use the Tamparuli-Ranau-Sandakan road.
“The Kundasang to Masilau road needs to be repaired and widened immediately because the Cattle Village located in Masilau is the main focus. Desa Cattle is a GLC owned by the Sabah Government.
“It is necessary to upgrade the road from Pekan Ranau to Simpang Lohan Ranau, at least build a cutting lane along this road.
Japiril suggested a temporary iron bridge on the Liwagu river, in addition to the existing bridge, so that the people around Ranau can use Kg Lintuhun-Kg Marakau and upgrade the Marakau-Muruk road, while waiting for the Pan Borneo to be ready,” he said.
The construction of a new bridge over Sungai Liwagu Ranau is needed because this bridge has been built since the 1970s when the number of cars was far less.
“In terms of the economic impact on Sabah, imagine how much money tourists can spend if they don’t have to spend a long time on the road just because of congestion that should be resolved.
“The Federal and Sabah governments must take this matter seriously and take immediate action because this situation is seriously affecting the tourism sector in the Ranau, in particular, and Sabah in general,” said Japiril.
“The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Tourism must make the resolving the long-standing congestion in Kundasang Town and Ranau Town a priority,” he stressed.
