From Mike Kim
I have been a resident of Petaling Jaya for 50 years. I’m part of the Concerned Residents Group of Section 14, Petaling Jaya, who will be affected by the proposed Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link or PJD Link (the proposed highway formerly known as Kidex).
We residents, residing nearby and along the corridor, have tried to see the logic behind the need for the Kidex/PJD Link, but haven’t found any.
Why is the state government reluctant to understand the rakyat’s needs, but instead panders to the greed of developers?
We have been using public transport for years, since the days of “Bas Mini Wilayah” and the Srijaya bus service. They were somewhat efficient.
The situation today versus that 10-20 years ago is that city planning and capacity design studies are lacking. To solve this matter, they are bent on building more highways.
Proper studies are required. Highways only contribute to an evil vicious cycle — more cars, more highways and even more taxes?
Perhaps some research in pilot projects, using end-to-end, modern efficient transport models, with artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0 and digital Internet of Things systems, are needed. Why are such studies not being published?
What can happen if we genuinely compare public transport schemes versus the PJD Link’s project? Ever since 2012, when Kidex (Kinrara Damansara Expressway) became gazetted, the federal government had decided to bring unnecessary cross-city highways into densely populated Petaling Jaya.
The Kidex highway was mooted during Barisan Nasional’s time. It was designed to tax road users via city tolls and become a developer’s money-making machine.
As it failed to provide the needed impact analysis reports, the Selangor government cancelled it then. However, Kidex came back as the PJD Link project in 2016.
The shocking news was it was embedded in the Selangor Structural Plan 2035 — therefore, over the next 15 years, it can be brought back again and again.
The state government has taken the rakyat for a ride. Was it intentional to re-brand Kidex as the PJD Link? Many studies show the highway serves no purpose, as there is no urgent practical reason to spend so much on a 35km highway from Kinrara/Bukit Jalil to Kota Damansara.
A few hundred properties will have to be acquired along the route.
Why are those behind the PJD Link so adamant in going ahead with the project? What is their justification? Also, why are our local council reps, politicians silent on this?
The elevated portion stretching 22km (63% of a 4-7 storey-highroad) will be dangerous to the properties below. It will affect the skyline of PJ city, and displace many old residents, living there for more than 50 years.
Worst of all, the estimated cost of the project — RM2.6 billion or RM75 million per kilometre — is seven to eight times the cost of a standard highway.
The developer is milking the government, disregarding the rakyat’s welfare, and vehemently pushing its agenda to start work in December 2021. Why is this allowed to happen?
Till now, many news articles have rebutted PJD Link’s claims. Many transport/road design experts have mentioned the practical need for a more efficient public-transport model instead.
This includes underground tunnels via the LDP route. If cost is the issue, an efficient public transport is 10 times cheaper than the highway, and can carry more capacity. Why is this advice going unheeded? Why deny the rakyat a better public transport system?
A fundamental concern exists. Why was this matter, although brought up in Parliament in the past, cancelled by then menteri besar Mohamed Azmin Ali in 2015, but still allowed to go on? What is going on here?
Till today, 1,500 houses in Petaling Jaya, have actively protested with banners. Now, when is the town hall meeting going to be held?
The people will not back down till the PJD Link is ended for good. We ask our politicians to urgently bring up this agenda in Parliament and the Selangor state assembly for action to be taken. We ask the rakyat to support this urgent petition and ongoing social activities.
Mike Kim is from the Concerned Residents Group of the Anti-PJD Link Action Group Malaysia.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.