I’M WILLING TO BE THE BAD GUY, SAYS KL MAYOR

Nor Hisham says closure on Jalan TAR is for city folk’s benefit

I will be cursed. They will say that I ‘syok sendiri’, but for us in City Hall, we have to do things for city folk’s benefit and quality of life.

KUALA Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan is willing to be the “bad guy” in his bid to reduce the number of cars entering the city centre.

Commenting on possible backlash from traders following Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s decision to impose a road closure on a 1kmstretch in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR) starting midMarch, he said this was for the sake of the people.

“People will say all sorts of things, but we have to show that we are justified, transparent and fair.

“I will be cursed. They will say that I syok sendiri, but for us in City Hall, we have to do things for city folk’s benefit and quality of life,” he said here yesterday.

Nor Hisham said the closure of Jalan TAR could herald the beginning of more closures.

City Hall, he said, was considering closing off more thoroughfares in high-density pedestrian shopping districts, such as Bukit Bintang, Brickfields and Chinatown, to build walkways and alfresco shopping plazas.

He said it might take many years and several mayors to do so, but the authority was determined to reduce the number of cars entering the city and change the perception that people no longer wanted to visit the city due to traffic gridlock.

Nor Hisham said weekend crawls were unbearable, with cars parked everywhere.

“This is a never-ending story and there must be a paradigm shift where people bring fewer cars into the city to reduce the snarl. It will take years and education is important.”

Nor Hisham, however, contradicted his earlier statement where he said the closure was permanent, clarifying instead that the system would be reviewed from August onwards, after Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

“If all goes well, we will enforce the closure permanently and allow the Deepavali Bazaar on the site. But if not, KL will go back to the way it was before, choked and congested.”

He earlier confirmed traders’ worst fears by announcing that the road would be used for the 2019 Ramadan Bazaar.

He, however, said it would only be for dry goods.

He said City Hall had initiated a survey on Google on Feb 11, following a post-cabinet discussion two weeks ago.

To date, 65 per cent of the 2,028 respondents were in favour of the road closure, with the rest against it.

The survey will be completed in a month’s time.

“We did this to ensure that the people, too, have their say in this matter, not just the shopkeepers. Many shops have gone bust there so we hope this will revive the place.”

He said the Batu Road Retailers’ Association would hand over a memorandum today, while Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad and City Hall officials would conduct a walkabout in the area next week.

“We will take into account their views and we will meet traders to get their feedback. This is a democratic country and whether or not the closure is permanent depends on the majority.”

He said the one-month Ramadan Bazaar was only a temporary setback for traders and that business would be back on track after the festive season.

“The beauty of Jalan TAR is that there are four train stations near the area and the Go KL bus also stops here.

“As a result, we get to reduce the number of cars on the road and in the long run, congestion in the city,” he said, adding that the Ramadan season was a classic example of people opting for public transport.

However, on whether City Hall had traffic data to back up this claim, he replied “no”.

Nor Hisham said the goal was to turn the area into the “Oxford Street” (London) of Kuala Lumpur.

He said the plan might take more than a decade to execute but work had to begin now.

“We hope to build a fountain, put in more benches, repaint the buildings like those in Barcelona and rebrand it as a new Jalan TAR.

“But we need to start now as part of our pledge to keep the city carbon-free for future generations.”