KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan is willing to be the ‘bad guy’ in his bid to reduce the number of cars coming into the city centre.
Commenting on the potential backlash from traders following City Hall’s decision to impose a road closure on a 1km stretch on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman(TAR) starting mid-March, he said this is being done 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.”
“So I will be cursed. They will say that I am “syiok sendiri” but for us in DBKL, we have do things for the benefit and the quality of life of the city folk,” he told a press conference here on Thursday.
Nor Hisham said the closure of Jalan TAR could herald the beginning of more closures. DBKL, he said, is considering closing off more thoroughfares in high-density pedestrian shopping districts such as Bukit Bintang, Brickfields and even Chinatown to build walkways and al-fresco shopping plazas.
He said it may take many years and several mayors to do so but the authority is determined to reduce the number of cars entering the city and change the perception that people no longer want to visit the city due to gridlock.
Nor Hisham said that even the weekend crawls are now 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,” he said.
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 also allow the Deepavali Bazaar on the site. But if not, KL will go back to the way it was before, choked and congested,” he said.
Nor Hisham had earlier confirmed traders' worst fears by announcing that the road would also be used for the 2019 Ramadan Bazaar. He however said that it would be only for dried goods.
Nor Hisham said City Hall had initiated a survey on Google on Feb 11. So far, 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 public too have their say not just the shopkeepers. Many shops have also gone bust there due to lack of business so we hope that this will revive the place,” he added.
Nor Hisham said the Batu Road Retailers’ Association would be handing over a memorandum on Friday while Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad and City Hall would conduct a walkabout in the area next week.
“We will take into account their views and we will meet all the traders on the stretch and the area to get their feedback. This is however a democratic country and whether the closure stays or goes will depend on the majority,” he said.
The mayor said that 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 operating on and near it 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, overall congestion in the city,” he said, adding that the Ramadan season was a classic example of people opting for public transport.
However, when asked whether City Hall had traffic data to back up this claim, he replied in the negative.
Nor Hisham said the end-goal is to turn the area into the “Oxford Street” (London) of Kuala Lumpur. He said the plan may take more than a decade to execute based on models like Seoul, Korea but work has to begin now.
“We hope to put in a fountain, places to sit, repaint the buildings like those in Barcelona and rebrand it as a new Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. But we need to start as part of our pledge to keep the ci
ty carbon-free for future generations.”