Havoc - 06052014

So, this morning I woke up extra early, to go out for a meeting. To my surprise, I found the traffic jam started right in front of my house, and I thought it will be alright. I left house at 825AM, and found myself in the traffic. Slowly, crawling, switching on the radio hoping to hear the traffic report.  Just so you know, I stay in a housing estate that requires me to drive over a mountain, yes, like literally. Everyday I need to drive up hill where its a single lane both directions, mid section will have two lanes both directions all the way to the top and downhill, comes a T-junction and merge back into a single lane before the road leads to the main Jalan Cheras.

When I was half way up the hill (see photo below), I was already in the jam for 30mins. FYI, if I were to speed, I can get out of the mountain in 4mins+. Then the traffic report came, they had a "special" coverage just for Cheras folks today. The construction had closed the entire stretch of the tunnel heading to Taman Connaught. Resulting to those who are coming from 9th & 11th mile and beyond, using alternatives via the housing estate to beat the jam. Causing all the inner roads badly congested. Guess what? by the time I pass the T-junction, to actually start driving on Jalan Cheras heading to Taman Connaught, it has taken up 70mins of my life.

This is just a quarter way up the hill, I have just turned into a two-lane section and its not moving.

While the media reported that it was "due to road works in the tunnel", I would say that it is because of the MRT construction, this is not the first time they had done something ridiculous like this. They can even close the entire round-about (rotary) at Taman Midah, that is a very important and busy round-about, and they had the clearance from council to close it on a weekday. Roads were from 4 lanes become 3, and then 2, now left with 1 lane accessible. The barricades are pushing towards to road for traffic use, slowly, day by day, it had now reduced to 1 lane. Construction entrance were a hazard, at corners or blind spot where drivers can't view, out of nowhere, a man with a flag and whistle walks out to the middle of the road, simply because "their" lorry needed to get out. First car who got stop probably lucky, the cars after, whom doesn't know of anything, speeding and kaboom, then next you will know is accident. The "traffic controller" should be monitoring the traffic, allowing traffic to pass, when it is clear and safe, then they release the lorry, not stopping speeding cars out of nowhere just to release the lorry. [sorry, I don't have any photos of the construction entrance, those who are interested to know, may google it, you will see entrances to these construction site are located are corners that are endangering other road users]

Just before the MRT construction can give "convenience" to people, it has already cause enough havoc around KL, not just Cheras alone. A messy - locked down Cheras today, looked like zombie apocalypse and everyone is trying to get out of Cheras.