Scant information on contraflow

I WAS tasked to report on the contraflow and dedicated bus lane from early June but it has been an uphill battle trying to get the authorities to release any information.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) was reluctant to disclose details, including providing a route map for the proposed changes.

I reached out to them again in the middle of June but was met with a wall of silence.

Finally, on June 23, DBKL released a written statement about the contraflow but I had to obtain the route map from a personal contact who got it from a source in DBKL.

Fortunately, Rapid Bus was more forthcoming with details about the contraflow and how traffic would be managed.

Since its implementation on July 3, the contraflow and dedicated bus lane implemented along Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, seems to have encountered a few obstacles along the way.

This new system is one of three contraflows implemented following a directive from Transport Minister Anthony Loke to ease congestion on major roads during peak hours.

The other two are from Jalan Maharajalela to Jalan Cheras, and the Sungai Besi toll plaza to Besraya Interchange.

However, the lack of information from the authorities meant that many motorists were clueless about the changes.

As a result, many on Jalan Ampang heading towards the city centre still drove on the left-most lane that is reserved for buses only.

K. Poovenraaj said city workers were caught off-guard by the new traffic management system.

“This led to worse than usual congestion from 8am on the first day,” he said.

Another motorist, KS Chong, said he was unaware of the contraflow and had to be extra cautious while on the road.

“To be honest, I feel that the contraflow has not helped traffic flow, and the only ones benefitting from the dedicated lane are bus passengers,” he said.

A contraflow is a common short-term method to ease peak-hour traffic, but the local authority here seemed to be treating it like a top-secret operation.

How would the public know about the changes if such information is not officially disseminated to the media?

There was also no information about the contraflow on DBKL’s website or social media platforms.

All this will surely lead to confusion, if not accidents, during the implementation phase.

There is clearly a lack of transparency and cohesive management among the authorities on the matter.

As a member of the press, our role is to assist the government in disseminating useful information to the public. Credit is due for a job well executed, and it is also the responsibility of the press to highlight the issues faced.

In the case of the contraflow, multi-agencies are involved but there should be one main coordinating body to ensure the public is kept up-to-date.

They should take a leaf from the LRT and MRT construction projects, whereby the agencies involved are always on the ball in sending traffic updates to the media. They do so in the hope that we in turn will disseminate the correct information to the public quickly and accurately, thereby easing their journey.

The public needs government agencies to be more open and accountable, and be responsive to the press who’s just trying to do their job. Signage was put up to alert motorists on the contraflow and dedicated bus lane in Jalan Ampang. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star