JALAN TAR CLOSURE ‘TEMPORARY’
Stretch closed for 2 weeks to get feedback from public, traders, says Khalid
THE closure of a stretch of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR) is not a permanent move, and is pending a study on its feasibility, said Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad.
According to him, it is for a period of two weeks as a test and also to gain feedback from the public and traders in the area.
“The two weeks’ road closure is a test to see the practicality of the plan. We expect there will be problems but we will deal with it one by one and take note of them and make the necessary adjustments.
“As part of the plan, Jalan TAR will be closed to traffic and bazaar traders from Jalan Masjid India may be relocated to some other parts of the road during festive seasons.
“Some traders will remain at the current location, but in a much more organised way than the current layout,” he added.
Jalan TAR will eventually be turned into a pedestrian mall and traffic will be rerouted around the area instead.
The stretch of the road that will be closed starting March 15 is from Jalan Esfahan to the Jalan Melayu intersection, covering a distance of less than one kilometre.
Khalid was speaking after launching Larian Wilayahku 2019 at Dataran DBKL yesterday, where more than 5,000 participants flocked to the area.
Khalid said if the plan was successful, the closure would be made permanent.
He said the bigger plan would be to reduce traffic congestion in the city.
Khalid also commented on the incident involving a woman who was brutally assaulted and robbed in a lift at the Taman Mutiara MRT station in Cheras.
He advised people, especially women and the elderly, to always be vigilant when going out alone.
“I am shocked at what happened. Thank God, she survived the attack. This serves to remind all of us to always be careful because there are bad people out there,” he added.
Khalid also urged all building operators to be mindful of people’s safety and to ensure those monitoring the closed circuit television cameras were always alert and to contact the police if they sensed something suspicious.