Long-term solution sought for Forest Heights junction
Residents want traffic lights installed to reduce congestion and improve safety of motorists
A RECENT tragic accident at a junction of Persiaran Forest Heights 1 leading towards Forest Park and Cassia Homes in Forest Heights neighbourhood, Negri Sembilan, led to immediate action from Seremban City Council (MBS) but the solution seems temporary at best.
Persiaran Forest Heights 1 is a long stretch of road beginning from the MBS building right up to Jalan Paroi-senawang.
The hilly road has two junctions located at the lower end of a slope, which is very dangerous for motorists intending to drive out from Persiaran Forest Heights 2.
Numerous accidents have occurred in the past at these junctions but none were fatal until the accident on April 1, which took the lives of a motorcyclist and his pillion rider.
The next day, Seremban Jaya assemblyman Gunasekaran Palasamy called for a press conference to address the issue of these dangerous junctions.
I attended the press conference as chairman of the Aster & Begonia Residents Association.
Representatives from Forest Bayu and Broadhill were also present along with a representative from MBS.
As a result of the fatal accident, MBS took immediate action to seal off the midsection of the road where the accident had occurred, to prevent motorists from turning right towards Forest Park and Cassia Homes.
This caused some dismay to regular road users who use this junction on a daily basis.
With the closure, motorists now have to drive further up to the other equally dangerous junction in order to get to their destination.
Some have even resorted to making illegal U-turns to shorten their journey.
Residents hope this closure will only be a temporary measure because it has created traffic jam during peak hours in the morning, as a Chinese primary school and Kolej Tingkatan 6 are located right in the middle of the Forest Heights neighbourhood.
At the press conference, all were in consensus that traffic lights have to be installed by the relevant authorities at these dangerous road junctions.
With traffic lights, it is hoped that it will improve safety at these locations.
Traffic flow will be more controlled, reducing the risk of accidents caused by misjudgement and impatience.
However, when installing the new traffic lights, the authorities must ensure that they are synchronised with the existing traffic lights near the MBS building located a short distance away.
By coordinating the timing of the traffic lights, we can achieve smooth traffic flow, reducing congestion and improving the overall safety of motorists.
Another urgent issue which I brought up with the assemblyman and MBS is the dim orange sodium streetlights along Persiaran Forest Heights 2, which hardly light up the area and are constantly faulty especially after heavy rain.
These streetlights are managed by MBS and it should take action to replace them with modern energy-efficient LED lights, which are brighter, thus improving visibility for motorists and night joggers.