[Jun 2014]
Back in 2014, many ADUNs assisted with public consultation. Now the DAP ADUNs are silent, except for a few PKR MPs. What is happening?
PETALING JAYA :
The Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) is expected to reduce traffic in Petaling Jaya by a mere 5.8% upon its completion in 2018 and 3.05% in 2028. The figure was revealed by Damansara Utama assembly member Yeo Bee Yin, Bukit Gasing assembly member Rajiv Rishyakaran,
Kampung Tunku assembly member Lau Weng San and Kinrara assembly member Ng Sze Han today after going through the highway's preliminary traffic impact assessment (TIA) which they obtained.
Yeo said the total reduction of vehicles in Petaling Jaya projected in 2018 is by some 100,000 vehicles per day, from 1.54 million vehicles per day to 1.45 million vehicles per day in 2018 and from 1.92 million vehicles per day to 1.86 million vehicles per day in 2028.
"Kidex (the concessionaire) had informed us that the projected reduction of traffic in the city is between 20 to 35%," she said at a press conference. "But the opposite in true. The government is going to spend RM2.24 billion on the project with a projected 3% reduction in traffic a decade from now," she added.
According to the report, certain roads in the city will see an increase in traffic while other roads will see a reduction in traffic in 2018 and 2028. For example, roads like Jalan Barat and Jalan Sultan will see an addition of traffic between 35% to 58% while roads like Jalan Changgai and Jalan Bukit Jalil Indah will see an increase in traffic between 109% and233%.
Other roads like Jalan Semangat, Persiaran Bandar Utama, Jalan Penchala, Jalan Kinrara, Jalan 14/1 and Jalan PJS 1/35 will see a reduction in traffic between 5% to 59%. However, the assembly members also lamented at the lack of depth and details covered by the preliminary report.
"At a rate of more than RM160 million per km, and looking at these figures, it seems that the construction of the highway is not justified," said Yeo. Rajiv said not only glaring details like the name of the traffic consultant have been left out of the report, but it also failed to explain if the projections are based on peak hour traffic and whether it takes into account future development projects.
"There are no details of the traffic consultant, there is no preamble which every TIA usually has, which makes the credibility of this report questionable," he said. "Even the projected 5% reduction could be worse because some details normally given in a TIA are not found here. "Does it take into account future development? Are the figures based on peak hour traffic or non-peak hour traffic?
Does it take into account future MRT lines? None of these are explained," he added. He said the detailed TIA and Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) should be made public. Rajiv, who is a former councillor with the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) and has been actively pursuing public transport issues, said the proposed elevated highway seem to benefit areas outside of PJ.
"This project does not seem to benefit the core areas that the highway passes through," he said. "It seems to benefit areas outside of PJ like Puchong and so on," he added. Lau said the report is far from a professional one. "It is just a bunch of powerpoint slides. I have seen a proper TIA and its contents are not like this," he added. "What we want is the actual TIA," he added.
Lau raised doubts as to whether the actual TIA report has been completed, questioning the competency of the concessionaire. Kidex Sdn Bhd CEO Datuk Mohd Nor Idrus had told fz.com in April that he is bound by the Official Secrets Act (OSA). Rajiv said that is the standard excuse given when a project of significant impact is being proposed by the government. "That is the standard working culture but it needs to be declassified," he said.
Lau said important reports like the TIA and EIA and even the concession agreement of the project should not be classified under the OSA. Yesterday, in a written reply to Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, the Works Ministry revealed that the government has approved the concession agreement for 48 years.
However, no details of the toll rates were divulged. Ng said the project does not seem to benefit the public. "It seems to be profit-driven, not so much of public interest," he said.
According to The Edge Financial Daily, shareholders of Kidex Sdn Bhd, the concessionaire of the project, are Emrail Sdn Bhd with a 70% equity interest and Zabima Engineering and Construction Sdn Bhd with a30% stake.
The shares of both companies are held by proxies and also individuals linked to Umno, such as Umno lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun and former chief justice Tun Zaki Azmi. Residents are opposing the RM2.2 billion project due to the potential contributions to traffic congestion in a crowded city like Petaling Jaya, property devaluation and increased noise pollution.
The highway is also reported to pass close by schools, mosques and houses, with the closest at 5m to the Sekolah Menengah Sri Petaling. The Petaling Jaya City Council had also rejected the plans for the highway three times due to lack of details furnished to the local authority despite repeated requests for it.
The project is believed to affect 3,784 landowners but Kidex had reportedly said less than 10% of them, mostly industrial lots, will be finally acquired.
Several Pakatan Rakyat leaders have called for the state government not to hastily grant approvals for the project before the impact of the project is clearly made known.