The closure of Jalan Tanjung has provided some relief to traffic along the Lebuh Bandar Utama-Sprint junction (lane on the left). — Photos: FAIHAN GHANI, LOW BOON TAT and LEW GUAN XI/The Star
RESIDENTS of Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya, Selangor have long been plagued by terrible traffic congestion when travelling towards Kuala Lumpur and other parts of Petaling Jaya.
They say gridlocks frequently occur on Lebuh Bandar Utama and the SPRINT Expressway (SPRINT), the main routes to their destinations.
Although the permanent closure of Jalan Tanjung off Lebuh Bandar Utama, since July 25, has provided some relief particularly at the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction, residents worry that ongoing development projects in the area may further worsen the traffic flow once completed.
Residents urge authorities to address possible traffic woes following the projects’ completion and to conduct a holistic traffic study for the area.
There are plans for a third lane to be built in front of The Capitol (left) on Lebuh Bandar Utama.
Road closure outcome
Jalan Tanjung’s closure had raised concerns among residents, especially those from the Tropicana area who used the road regularly.
They argued that the closure not only limits access from their residential areas, but also restricts quick access for emergency services.
However, resident MK Tan from BU11 in Bandar Utama said the closure had shortened waiting time at the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction, making traffic smoother.
“The route from BU11 and BU12 to Centrepoint and 1 Utama malls, as well as SPRINT along Lebuh Bandar Utama, is now smoother following the reduction of waiting time at the junction.
“Jalan Tanjung was a quick fix for Tropicana residents who wanted to access SPRINT via a shortcut, but it caused slow traffic at the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction, which was problematic for us,” he said.
Following the closure, Tropicana residents can now use Persiaran Tropicana to reach Lebuh Bandar Utama before merging onto SPRINT via the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction. (See map)
Alternatively, they can use Persiaran Surian to access the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) before merging onto SPRINT.
Both routes are longer than Jalan Tanjung, which allowed motorists to cut straight across Lebuh Bandar Utama.
BU12 resident Tan Boon Leong said town planners should prioritise overall smoothness of traffic flow over creating shortcuts.
“In countries like Singapore, motorists often need to take big loops to access certain roads.
“Although this increases travel time, the overall traffic flow would be smoother than having vehicles weaving through here and there via shortcuts,” he said.
The 800m-long Jalan Tanjung stretch was a temporary road constructed in 1991, which cuts across private land belonging to the area’s developer, a neighbouring developer and the Malaysian Highway Authority.
All parties had agreed that it would serve as a temporary access route for residents in the nearby neighbourhoods to reach Bandar Utama easily.
The agreement stipulated that the neighbourhoods’ developer would construct an alternative permanent road, after which Jalan Tanjung would be closed and the land returned to the owners.
However, the alternative road was never built and the shortcut continued to serve the growing local population for over 30 years.
A report proposes widening the turning radius towards SPRINT from Lebuh Bandar Utama.
Traffic woes ahead
Despite the relief provided by shortcut’s closure, residents are worried that an ongoing mixed-use transit-oriented development project near the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction will further worsen traffic.
BU11 resident Jessica Lau said the 36-storey project would exacerbate congestion along Lebuh Bandar Utama because of poor ingress and egress designs.
“The proposed ingress and egress points of the project are located very close to the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction, making the stretch prone to accidents.
“Once there is an accident, the traffic along Lebuh Bandar Utama will come to a standstill,” she said, adding that the project was expected to be completed in 2026.
The project, known as The Capitol, is by 1Utama City Group, and consists of two blocks of 25-storey office towers above an 11-storey podium, housing four levels of food and beverage and lifestyle facilities, in addition to approximately 2,500 parking bays.
According to its traffic impact assessment (TIA) report prepared in October 2023, there would be two entrances and two exits connecting the project and Lebuh Bandar Utama.
The access points would be distributed along an approximately 200m stretch between the Jalan BU11/1-Lebuh Bandar Utama junction and the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction.
MK says Jalan Tanjung’s closure has made traffic smoother at the Lebuh Bandar Utama area.
The report had proposed building a third lane along Lebuh Bandar Utama in front of the project to reduce traffic bottlenecks.
MK said the proposal would not effectively resolve peak-hour traffic congestion and may increase the risk of accidents instead.
“The proposed extra lane will start at the Jalan BU11/1-Lebuh Bandar Utama junction and continue until the bridge at the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction.
“This would create a traffic issue as vehicles coming out from BU11 would weave out to Lebuh Bandar Utama while vehicles going to the building (The Capitol) would weave into the lane at the same time.
“This would make the stretch prone to accidents,” he claimed, adding that the proposal was set to be implemented despite objections.
Boon Leong says town planners should prioritise the overall smoothness of traffic flow.
“We are still communicating with the developer, but there is no clear solution to address the possible traffic congestion along Lebuh Bandar Utama after the project’s completion so far,” he said.
In November 2023, three residents associations in Bandar Utama – namely BU11 Hatiria, BU11 Gembiria and BU12 – jointly objected the TIA report.
One concern was the discrepancy in the level of service (LOS) for the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction in the morning and evening across different parts of the report.
LOS is a qualitative measure of traffic flow quality, rated on a scale of A (best, free flow) to F (worst, breakdown or gridlock).
StarMetro observed that the report marked the junction’s LOS as E (morning) and F (evening) in one table, but as C (morning) and E (evening) in a diagram.
The report also proposed to widen the turning radius towards SPRINT from Lebuh Bandar Utama at the Lebuh Bandar Utama-SPRINT junction to increase the speed of right turns and the number of vehicles turning into SPRINT within the allocated green light time.
Residents have criticised this proposal as “counterproductive”, arguing that allowing more vehicles into SPRINT would only worsen the traffic condition at the junction.
In a statement, 1Utama City Group said several TIAs and consultation sessions have been conducted with Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and the residents.
“All concerns have been addressed as we updated the TIA on the positions agreed upon after consultations with MBPJ and the residents,” it said.
On the concern about the additional lane on Lebuh Bandar Utama, the developer said the lane could increase the road’s capacity and allow vehicles approaching and exiting the building to decelerate and accelerate without interrupting existing traffic flow.
It further emphasised that there were no errors in the TIA report and that further surveys and additional data were submitted with the updated TIA report before the project was approved.
MBPJ has not responded to queries regarding the matter as at press time.
Highway congestion
Residents also want the traffic bottleneck on SPRINT – particularly on the stretch between Bandar Utama and SS20, which they often used to go to Kuala Lumpur and other parts of Petaling Jaya – to be addressed.
There are two other ongoing development projects along the approximate 1.6km stretch – a mixed development with more than 1,000 units and an apartment with 88 units, according to the projects’ signboards.
A Bandar Utama resident, only identified as Vivian, is worried that traffic congestion on SPRINT will worsen after the projects are completed.
“Developments have not been stopping in the past decade, continuously increasing traffic volume in the area,” she added.
BU10 resident Lim See Meng, who uses SPRINT to go to Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur every morning, suggested building a flyover to divert vehicles from Sungai Buloh, Subang, Shah Alam and Klang heading towards Kuala Lumpur as well as some parts of Petaling Jaya.
“Vehicles from these areas would usually merge into the stretch through the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE).
“They are contributing to about 70% of the traffic along the stretch, based on my observations,” he said.
He also said motorists tend to use Jalan Masjid to enter SPRINT, causing a gridlock at the flyover near the junction during peak hours.
“The authorities can consider putting cones at the slip road there during peak hours to prevent vehicles from entering the flyover directly from Jalan Masjid. This could ease the traffic flow on the flyover,” he said.
In a statement, SPRINT said it welcomed any proposal to alleviate the congestion from NKVE to Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur, provided it is supported by the residents living along that stretch and the relevant authorities.
“SPRINT will also look into the weaving issue at the Jalan Masjid-Sprint junction and take some mitigation measures to address the problem,” it added.
