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City Hall will step up efforts to maintain the public lighting around commercial properties in Kota Kinabalu and Luyang.

The agency’s action was prompted by feedback from two motorists about the safety hazards posed by the unlit sections of the roads around the Harrisons Sabah Sdn Bhd building and Damai Plaza.

They separately provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding the lack of illumination at both locations. This information was forwarded to the agency.

A City Hall spokesman said its electrical section was alerted to the public’s concerns.

Shortly thereafter, he said checks were made of the streetlights on Jalan Haji Saman, Jalan Ewan, Jalan Kinabalu Lama 6 and Lorong Bank – in the central business district (CBD) of the State Capital – as well as on Lorong Pokok Kayu Manis. 

“The power supply to the lights on Jalan Haji Saman, Jalan Ewan and Lorong Bank were found to have tripped,” he said.

“Our technicians reset the affected mechanisms in the control panel for these amenities. 

“They later went up in the articulated arm of the sky-master to double check that the bulbs and the lanterns for the lights were in order. 

In the case of the amenities in the parking bays on Jalan Kinabalu Lama 6, he said some lighting fixtures were found to have been damaged. 

“Repairs were made on the spot, with the contractor’s workers changing three 250-watt lanterns, three 250-watt ballasts and three ignitors,” he said.  

He explained that a “ballast” regulated the electrical current to the lanterns and provided sufficient voltage to start the lanterns, according to him.

An “ignitor”, meanwhile, functioned as a starter to increase the initial voltage to make the lanterns glow, according to him.

He said a loose neutral cable, servicing the lights between the Sabah Outdoor Art Space and Tong Hing Supermarket, was also dealt with.

Where Damai Plaza was concerned the spokesman said a different group of technicians attended to the damaged bulbs and lanterns for the lights along the unlit portion of Lorong Pokok Kayu Manis.

He said two sets of these respective components were replaced in this instance.

“The contractor tested the lights to determine if the road was adequately illuminated that night.

“He also went back after during the day to ensure that the time for these amenities was functioning as it should.”

While City Hall was primarily focused on looking after the safety of motorists who used those stretches which were under its jurisdiction, the spokesman said it also hoped to improve their driving experience. 

“Our contractor has been asked to step up his surveillance of these roads to ensure that they are properly lit at night.” 

When asked how often maintenance was carried out on its streetlights, he said there was no fixed-schedule for this work.

“These amenities are attended to as and when it becomes necessary to do so.”

JEANNEY, who works at an office in CBD, bemoaned the poor illumination on the roads in the vicinity of HSBC Bank, the Art Space and Tong Hing Supermarket.

“This location is a busy commercial zone and a popular tourist zone,” she said. 

“The lack of illumination puts pedestrians, shoppers, employees, motorists and international visitors at risk. It may increase the risk of accidents, thefts and other undesirable incidents.”

She said one of her colleagues lodged a report about the lighting woes to City late last year.

“Two and a half months later no corrective action had been taken,” she said.

Jeanney was at a loss to understand how the authority could have turned a blind eye to the safety hazards, not to mention inconvenience, the dimly lit roads in this part of the City caused to the public.