Rawang needs better roads

RAWANG is a bustling town north of Klang Valley that is growing at a tremendous pace.

Many people who work in Kuala Lumpur have made the town and its surrounding areas their home for many years.

This is mainly due to the affordability of houses here, compared to areas closer to Kuala Lumpur. Rawang is 30km from Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

Unfortunately, the town’s growth in population is not matched by proper transport infrastructure.

The 30km-drive to Kuala Lumpur takes more than an hour during peak periods, sometimes much longer. The roads in and around Rawang leading to Kuala Lumpur need major improvements.

People in Rawang have been waiting for this for years. Two-lane roads have been reduced to one lane, and poorly planned U-turns are compounded by uncoordinated traffic lights every 100m or less.

Potholes and poorly designed road dividers and kerbs are the norm here. Overgrown shrubs by the road shoulders and rocks/gravel on the road that fell from poorly covered lorries are also common sights.

One particular daily problem is a 100m stretch of road that clogs the street from Rawang town to the PLUS highway entrance. This single-lane road turns a five-minute commute to an excruciating half-hour drive.

The total distance from Rawang town to the highway is less than four kilometres, but traffic moves at a snail’s pace.

As there is ample space on both sides to widen the road, we cannot understand why this has not happened.

Why not use public transport, you ask? It is because the dilapidated buses will have to ply and traverse the same pothole-ridden roads.

The train station in Rawang looks like a hut that might collapse after a thunderstorm.

Trains here follow their own timetable and it is a pity that the MRT does not cover Rawang.

We hope the authorities can offer a solution and solve our woes.

RAWANG BOY

Rawang