KUALA LUMPUR: There was an all-round disapproval of City Hall’s (DBKL) move to rename major roads in the city centre here.
City dwellers Streets spoke to said the move would only lead to confusions and questioned the need for the exercise.
They said it would be wiser for DBKL to use the names on new roads.
City Hall had announced that the major roads would be renamed after the past Yang di-Pertuan Agong and that installation works of the road signs would start today.
Freelance writer Russel Especkerman, 23, of Cheras, said the new names of major roads would be confusing for drivers, especially those outside Kuala Lumpur.
“Drivers from outside the city will get confused because of the change in the road names,” he said, adding that global positioning system (GPS) devices would need to be updated to accommodate the new road names.
“Of course, motorists will eventually get used to it but why change the names and cause the hassle in the first place,” he said.
Interior designer Rudy Yong, 58, of Subang Jaya, said new names should be given to new roads, and not existing ones.
“Why does City Hall need to change the names of these roads? It will only confuse the people,” he said, adding that City Hall should do a proper research to determine if the renaming of major roads would benefit the people.
“For instance, Jalan Ipoh has been called that for years, everyone knows it as Jalan Ipoh.
“So why change it, what is the rationale behind it?” asked Yong.
Bank officer, Amilaton Jelani, 33, said she did not agree with DBKL’s move as it would confuse her clients and those who are not familiar with roads in the city.
“It is going to cause a lot trouble to many people, especially when it comes to mailing letters or parcels, not to mention tourists who would go to these areas,” she said.
Siti Nur Musli, 31, a sales officer, said changing the road names would require a constant reminder to the public about the new names.
“The roads that DBKL had planned to change are major roads that we are familiar with, perhaps the names could be applied to new roads,” she added.
Siti Nor Diyana Jaafar, 30, said new names would cause difficulty to GPS users who will require the latest update to get to the desired destination.
“I used GPS such as Waze frequently and with the road names changed, it will be hard for me to reach the location.
“It would be better to maintain the old names,” she said. By Raymund Wong, Rebecca Hani Romeli and Ashiqin Ariffin