Pedestrians and schoolchildren in SS2 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, can look forward to safer streets under a RM1mil pilot safety project scheduled to kick off on July 20.
The “Safer School Streets” initiative by Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) will cover Jalan SS2/3 and Jalan 21/37 which link SMK Taman SEA to the nearby Taman Bahagia LRT station.
The project funded by Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT), set to be completed by Oct 31, will introduce continuous walkways, raised pedestrian crossings, traffic-calming measures and designated 30kph school speed zone.
Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lim Yi Wei said the improvements were needed as students currently had no safe pathway to walk between their school and the LRT station.
The area also lacked a proper drop-off point, with parents and buses stopping along the roadside and blocking traffic when school ended, she said at a press conference at a park opposite the LRT station.
Lim said construction would be carried out in phases to minimise disruption.
“There should be enough space to keep at least one lane open throughout the construction period.
“The contractor will provide a detailed work schedule for each phase,” she said.
The scope of the project spans a study area and walkway of about 500m.
“All five components of the project will incorporate universal design principles to accommodate persons with disabilities, parents using strollers and elderly residents with shopping trolleys,” said Lim.
Additional speed bumps would also be installed, she said.
The project is being undertaken with technical support from PLANMalaysia, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) and Commute Initiatives.
A mobility study conducted by Commute Initiatives, alongside local volunteers and college students, logged some 800 pedestrians using the route to the LRT station and another 500 near the school within a 90-minute window.
Alarmingly, vehicles were recorded travelling at speeds up to 85kph.
A survey of 344 respondents revealed that 76.2% felt unsafe using the route.
Lim said movement data from the mobility assessment was shared during engagement sessions with students and the local community to shape the final design.
Welcoming the initiative, SS2 Selatan Residents Association chairman Ching Leng Chu, 78, urged MBPJ to ensure the new walkways featured gradual inclines instead of steep steps.
“The existing pavement is difficult for senior citizens to use, with some tripping because they cannot lift their feet high enough onto the kerb,” he said.
He added that an estimated 70% of SS2 Selatan residents were aged 60 and above.
Ching also proposed installing covered walkways and traffic poles to prevent motorists from making U-turns across the double-lane road.
Selangor investment, trade and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han, who attended the briefing, hopes the development will serve as a model for other school zones across the state.
Commute Initiatives also announced that 14 schools nationwide had been selected for the pilot project, with SMK Taman SEA chosen as Selangor’s pioneer site.
MBPJ Development and Planning Department senior assistant director Nazihah Jaafar said the city council also allocated RM500,000 to upgrade drainage network in the area.
