Turn ‘rat trails’ into alternative route, suggest villagers

TELUK INTAN: Villagers of Kampung Baru Palawan near Langkap here have suggested that the “jalan tikus” (dirt road) in Ladang Bikam be turned into an alternative road for users of the North-South Expressway when the highway is congested, especially during festive seasons.

Lee Kim Chin, 65, one of the men who assisted road users to beat the traffic jam by using the Ladang Bikam dirt road on the fourth day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, said it could also shorten the journey to Kuala Lumpur.

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“Road users only need to travel about three kilometres before exiting onto the main road in Kuala Bikam heading south,” he told Bernama.

Lee said the villagers were happy to open up the trail, a sandy and rocky route used only by lorries, four-wheel-drive vehicles and motorcycles.

Another villager, Law Kian Ming, 52, said during the incident, his friends were having coffee at his coffeeshop in the village at about 10pm when they noticed many vehicles turning back.

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“We used a backhoe belonging to a friend to level the route with sand but it couldn’t hold up for long and constantly need levelling.

“We even had to repair the road today (yesterday),” he said.

Meanwhile, Lee Weng Foong, 52, said they did not expect the assistance provided by the villagers to go viral, adding that they offered help regardless of race and without expecting any rewards.

“As Malaysians, we must unite and help each other so that we can live in harmony,” he said.