I refer to the StarMetro article titled “From gated alley to open community spaces” dated June 8.
Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and Taman SEA Residents Association did a great job in breathing a fresh lease of life into two side lanes.
The initiative is highly commendable and is a well-thought and creative plan to transform “dead zones” into shared community spaces.
It is hoped that MBPJ will implement more of these placemaking approaches.
Perhaps MBPJ could also look into other areas that are dormant.
In particular, there are two bus-stops along Jalan SS23/17 in Taman SEA. They were built more than five years ago.
One of them was once either vandalised or damaged but it was quickly repaired.
These two sheltered bus-stops were constructed with a stainless steel frame and plastic roofs.
They are also lit at night.
Unfortunately, no public buses have ever serviced these two stops.
They are structures that do not serve the purpose they were constructed for.
It is puzzling why these bus-stops were built, repaired and maintained using taxpayers’ money, yet have not been used at all for more than five years.
Now is a good time to route buses to Taman SEA to ferry commuters to the soon-to-be-launched LRT3 station at Damansara Utama and the existing MRT station at Taman Tun Dr Ismail as well as other parts of the city.
The call to use public transport has never been greater, especially given the current fuel crisis and the nation’s crippling fuel subsidies.
Having bus services will be a boon to the surrounding communities of Taman Megah and Taman Mayang.
Let’s hope MBPJ and the transport authorities can work something out soon to utilise existing public infrastructure to reclaim this dead space.
Its revitalisation and operation will benefit the community, the environment and the economy.
Koo Wee Hon
Taman SEA, Petaling Jaya
