THE deteriorating five-foot ways in the Pudu commercial district of Kuala Lumpur are gradually being upgraded to enhance pedestrian safety.
Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun’s aide Lee Bing Hong said the upgrading projects followed complaints from local stakeholders about the poor condition of the walkways.
“The five-foot ways are breaking down, causing safety concerns among users and making the area an eyesore.
“In January, we completed the upgrades in front of the shoplots along Jalan Brunei and Jalan 1/77c.
“The next upgrade will include the five-foot ways along Lorong Brunei 2,” he told StarMetro during a site visit.
“After upgrading using the concrete stamping method, business owners are happy with the result.
“We hope the upgrade improves the area’s overall aesthetics and drives better business opportunities here,” he added.
Lee said over the past two years, more than 40 infrastructure upgrading projects had been carried out in the Bukit Bintang constituency.
“At first, we focused on upgrading the back lanes because they are in poor and uneven condition.
“Then, we looked into five-foot ways that needed repair.”
He said to date, they had completed upgrading the five-foot ways along Jalan Landak, Jalan Nyonya and Jalan Baba in Pudu as well as Changkat Thambi Dollah in Bukit Bintang and Jalan Salak Selatan in Seputeh.
According to Lee, the projects utilise the yearly RM2mil MP allocation under the Implementation Coordination Unit, with funding ranging from RM30,000 to RM50,000 per project.
These projects include installing solar street lamps on sidewalks and back lanes.
“Within three years, we have installed about 50 solar lamps in dark alleys and poorly lit roads,” he said, adding that 15 to 20 more infrastructure upgrading projects in the Bukit Bintang constituency would likely proceed this year.
Coffeeshop owner Lee Chee Kong, 57, said he was happy with the five-foot way upgrades and the installation of a solar street lamp in front of his shop along Jalan 1/77c.
“Before the solar lamp was installed, the five-foot way was dark at night and foreigners would relieve themselves there.
“The place would reek of urine when I opened my shop in the morning.
“Now that it is brightly lit, it deters loiterers and has stopped the unhygienic behaviour,” he said, adding that the five-foot way was also previously riddled with holes.
