Fed up of potholes and bumps on the road

Reason for despair: Motorists must be on the lookout all the time due to poor road conditions. – Photo: Lim Lip Eng/MP for Kepong

NOW that the 15th General Election is done and dusted, I request the government of the day to put some real work into improving the condition of our roads.

Be they under the jurisdiction of the federal, state or local authorities, roads in Klang Valley have been quite atrocious of late. This is due mainly to the high volume of traffic, particularly heavy vehicles, coupled with the regular and indiscriminate digging of roads by contractors undertaking public utility works. Regular spates of rain do not help either. The end result is we have roads typical of a third world country all over Klang Valley. I would like to ask the road authorities at all the various levels a few questions.

Firstly, how can you accept the shoddy work of contractors hired to do road repairs? Most of the time, it looks like they do not have a proper way to resurface the road after digging it up for repairs or whatever purpose. They leave a patch that is not flush with the rest of the surface, creating a hump that could pose a danger to unsuspecting road users, especially motorcycle riders.

To avoid riding over the hump, motorcyclists could get in the way of drivers, thus creating an ideal situation for a crash. You should withhold all payments to contractors until they finish the job properly.

Secondly, don’t we have a minimum standard for all roads, even those built to divert traffic in areas where major construction projects are going on? Why do we have to put up with partly-tarred or gravel road or, in some places, stretches covered with metals sheets? If you had properly scrutinised the plans for constructing these road diversions before approving them, this situation would not arise. By the look of it, I don’t think the proper checks were done.

It should also be compulsory for contractors to put in place the necessary measures such as lights, signs, and markings to ensure the safety of road users.

We used to have high quality roads in the past. I have looked at how roads are built in Singapore and other countries, which we aspire to benchmark ourselves against (and should), and I see information like the name and duration of the project and persons to contact in case there are any complaints clearly displayed at the site. All the measures necessary for the safety of traffic during the construction, including barricades, flags, lights and signs, are also in place.

Enough is enough. We shouldn’t have to put up with potholes and bumps on the road every day. The new government must put all of its people to work and focus on getting things right – right from the start. With the incessant rain and the amount of water on the roads these days, driving in Klang Valley can be hazardous as we have to be on the lookout for potholes and bumps everywhere.

ANGRY KLANG VALLEY ROAD USER

Kuala Lumpur