Bangsar roads sink to new depths

BANGSAR (Feb 19): Residents are tired of the small but numerous and recurrent potholes that have popped up everywhere in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. 

Bukit Bandaraya Residents’ Association president, Datuk M Ali said City Hall should entirely resurface all the roads in one go to permanently get rid of the potholes.

"It is not enough to just patch up the holes, they will recur. Just look at Jalan Maaroof and the alleys nearby. Look at Jalan Damansara, or the parallel, inner roads around Jalan Telawi.

"We call them (City Hall) up from time to time to patch up the roads, but the repair jobs cannot withstand the weather conditions and do not last. The potholes keep recurring," Ali said in an Interview with The Malaysian Insider.

Other problems such as broken underground pipes and poor drainage were making matters worse, he said.

"Every time a pipe breaks down or during wet weather, the water bursts through the road and the potholes appear.

He said the main roads should be resurfaced and roadworks on these roads prohibited after that to prevent unevenness.

"There are always a lot of roadworks happening on these 40 to 50 year old roads – you have the water company fixing its pipes underneath the road, you have the machines placed on the road.

"All these things cause potholes to occur and recur. They should get all the road works done once and for all and then resurface the whole road afterwards. Don’t touch it after that otherwise there will be patches everywhere again," he said.

Bangsar Baru Residents’ Association president Datuk George Joseph thinks that City Hall has been efficient at fixing potholes, but hopes its operations are conducted more transparently.

"We are very happy that City Hall is concerned about potholes. It gets the repair work done in just one or two weeks after we have filed a complaint at the Lembah Pantai MP’s office.

"But there have been many changes in the City Hall administration recently, and sometimes the change happens so fast, that sometimes I don’t know whether we are talking to the right person.

"City Hall should come out with a newsletter of some sort to keep the residents’ associations informed. I am finding it difficult to keep up," he said.

He said City Hall should be more alert for potholes in places beyond the city. – The Malaysian Insider 

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