Politics

Traffic woes: Residents counting on Cameron Highlands by-election for solutions

TANAH RATA: The usual ten-minute journey from Tringkap to Brinchang here can sometimes take up to an hour during weekends and public holidays due to the chronic traffic congestion.

Tourists often flock to the famous tourist attractions including bazaars and shops at the hill station resulting in motorists getting caught in heavy traffic jam with an average of 10,000 vehicles recorded coming to Cameron Highlands everyday during long holidays.

Various plans including widening certain stretch at the hill top resort and developing a long-term traffic mitigation plan for the area had been laid out in the past but works were moving at a snail's pace.

As the Cameron Highlands by-election looms, residents hoped that the contesting candidates would be able to lay out a proper plan to provide a solution to tackle the traffic issues which has been described as a "nightmare".

Lorry driver R. Manikam, 38, who travels regularly to collect vegetables from a farm near Brinchang said there were times he had to sit behind the wheel for almost two hours just to travel a distance that was less than five kilometers.

"The roads are narrow and there is limited space to stop by the side of the road. Although Cameron Highlands is popular and attracts a lot of visitors but for those working here, the problem is causing a headache.

"The traffic problem is serious and the related agencies have to do something quickly. Currently, policemen are deployed to control traffic during public holidays and weekends but that is only a short term-solution," he said, adding that he hoped the traffic issues would be highlighted during the by-election.

Meanwhile, Kampung Melot Orang Asli head Ngeset Kembok, 65, said most of the Orang Asli villages have no proper roads and clean water supply.

He said they still relied on water from the rivers for their daily consumption and sometimes some of the villagers especially children would be exposed to various illnesses including leptospirosis.

"There were incidents where children fell ill after consuming river water. We hope that pipes will be installed so that we can start to enjoy clean and treated water supply.

"Poor road conditions are common in the Orang Asli villages but nowadays since most of us own vehicles, we hope for better roads or else our vehicles will be easily damaged," he said, adding he hoped the by-election would help bring major changes to the Orang Asli community.

The traffic woes and poor basic amenities were among the major concerns raised by the people in Cameron Highlands besides other problems such as flash floods, job opportunities for youths and lack of affordable homes.

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