KUALA LUMPUR: Running event organisers in the capital are being told to standardise their routes with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) to curb disruptions to the city with endless road closures.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said one fix worth considering is to set standard routes based on running distances, and make organisers stick to them.
"Three kilometres - this is the route. Five kilometres - this is the route. Organisers cannot just pick whichever route they fancy," she told reporters after officiating the Mega Cleaning Programme for Hari Cuci Malaysia at the Batu Muda People's Housing Programme (PPR) here Saturday (Sept 26).
Yeoh said the coordination is crucial because road users need to know in advance which routes are affected so they can plan their journeys.
"This week alone, 30 roads are closed for one run. I cannot accept this. I don't want the public unable to plan their trips into the city. We need to organise these runs properly," she said.
Yeoh said the move is not aimed at stopping such events, but to ensure they can be held in a more orderly manner without disrupting traffic flow, given that more than a million vehicles enter Kuala Lumpur every day.
She said organisers who need different routes could consider less congested locations, while also making use of existing ones such as those used for the Car Free Day programme.
"Kuala Lumpur is a city that needs to be well organised. I don't want people wasting hours waiting for roads to reopen," she said. - Bernama
