Unlicensed roadside stalls in Jalan Belimbing are contributing to the lack of cleanliness in the area.
RESIDENTS of Taman Bukit Belimbing in Seri Kembangan, Selangor, are angry over unresolved problems in the neighbourhood.
Topmost on their list of concerns is the potholed Jalan Belimbing – a two-lane road connecting to the Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (SILK highway).
Huge lorries plying the route daily on their way to a nearby industrial area had caused cracks to form on the road, residents said.
Taman Bukit Belimbing Residents Association deputy chairman Vincent Raj said there was another road located 500m away that the lorries should use.
“But they prefer using Jalan Belimbing because it is more convenient.
“If you are driving to the industrial area with the help of a navigation app, it too guides you to use the Jalan Belimbing route,” he said.
Two motorcyclists were injured early this year when they hit the pothole on Jalan Belimbing and fell.
Long-time resident Peter Thomas, 43, said his nephew’s car wheel was damaged when the vehicle hit a pothole during a downpour.
“Water was ponding in the pothole so it was not visible.
“When the car was sent for repairs, the mechanic said this was the fifth incident of damaged tyres due to potholes,” he said.
A report by StarMetro on Oct 2, 2020, highlighted the pothole issues in the neighbourhood.
Vincent urged the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) to also expedite the construction of noise barriers along Jalan Belimbing.
“Residents are having sleepless nights due to the traffic noise,” he said.
He also highlighted the lack of cleanliness of roadside stalls along Jalan Belimbing that had marred the area’s image.
He said there were at least 15 stalls which started operations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Many of these stalls have since been abandoned and their owners are nowhere to be found.
“Those who are still trading are indiscriminately throwing rubbish which end up in drains and clogging them,” he said adding that complaints to MPKj had not received any response.
Another resident Husnil Abdullah, 64, raised concerns over water ponding at a junction in Jalan Belimbing during downpours.
“The water runoff also carries sand which makes the surface slippery, posing a risk to vehicles,” he added.
Resident Suhaimi Muhamad, 43, urged MPKj to trim trees in the housing area as leaves too were clogging up the drains.
He added that there were also many abandoned cars that attracted pests and they were unsightly besides posing a fire hazard.
MPKj councillor Dickson Tan, when contacted, said the council had resurfaced Jalan Belimbing but cracks continued to reappear because of the presence of heavy vehicles.
“I have requested MPKj and Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris) to resurface the road,” he said.
Tan added that the council had also issued warning letters to the illegal roadside hawkers to cease operations.
