Safety fears over darkness at Tun Fuad Park
Tun Fuad Stephens Park in Bukit Padang, Luyang remains a perfect place for jogging or spending me bonding with family members but darkness due to malfunc oning lamps has sparked safety fears.
KOTA KINABALU: The Tun Fuad Stephens Park in Bukit Padang, Luyang continues to be a perfect venue for city dwellers to go jogging, breeze walking or just spending time bonding with family members and friends during weekends and even after office hours.
However, it is claimed that the facilities at the park are now deteriorating to the extent that it exposes the public to dangers.
There is a possibility that what is supposed to be a healthy and enjoyable outing at the park could turn into a nightmare for joggers and other visitors if the Kota Kinabalu City Hall does not fix the malfunctioning lamps in the area.
Visitors have also expressed fears over the possibility of them falling victims to robbery and other crimes if the lamp posts problem is not addressed by the authority concerned.
It is noted that majority if not all the lamp posts in the park are not funtioning now, rendering the place dark even before sunset.
Hence, they strongly urged the City Hall to light up the park early in the morning and evening by repairing all the malfunctioning lamps.
It is felt that the need to replace all the malfunctioning lamps is urgent for safety reasons, especially now that the night is longer than the day, especially during the months of November to January when the sun sets early.
“In previous years, there had been reported cases of robbery, attempted rape, car thefts, vehicle break-ins and other crimes in the area. It is for this very reason we want the City Hall to light up the place to avoid recurrence of similar crimes in the future,” says contractor David Chan.
He also called for the park to be cleared of unnecessary bushes and tall grasses, and more safety facilities to be provided for joggers and hill climbers, as well as spacious and properly maintained parking lots amongst others.
“Tun Fuad Park is a favourite place for many Sabahans and foreign visitors, health conscious individuals, elderly people, children and the youths.
“The place is also considered a landmark for Kota Kinabalu hence, it should be properly maintained in terms of security, facilities and cleanliness to mention a few,” Chan stressed.