GEORGETOWN: A rectangular-shaped road divider at the junction of Jalan Pisang Rastali and Jalan Pisang Embun in Kampung Pisang, Air Itam, has raised safety concerns among road users. Many drivers ignore traffic rules to avoid taking a detour and reach their destinations more quickly.
A driver who declined to be named, said, “The corner is extremely dangerous for road users, especially when cars suddenly rush across the road at the bend and cannot be seen by the oncoming drivers from the opposite side of the road.
Air Itam state assemblyman, Joseph Ng Soon Siang acknowledges that complaints have been received regarding the divider and that the matter has been brought up to Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP) already. “Although the area is under the jurisdiction of Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR), we always forward our complaints to MBPP so that they can liaise with JKR.
“Actually, road users should adhere to the traffic rules. Before Sunshine Central was completed, it was a triangular divider, but after that, it became rectangular in anticipation of heavier traffic in that area,” he said, adding that, if the authorities closed off one of its accesses, it might result in traffic jams. Sunshile Central is a mixed-development project comprising various components, namely luxury serviced apartments (Sunshine Residence), a shopping mall (Sunshine Mall), a hotel (Sunshine World) and an office tower (Sunshine Tower).
The rectangular divider is situated at the crossroad intersection of Jalan Pisang Rastali and Jalan Pisang Embun. Jalan Pisang Embun extends in three different directions. Currently, vehicles are allowed to turn from Jalan Pisang Rastali into Jalan Pisang Embun for travel to Jalan Zoo or to Jalan Thean Teik. Vehicles approaching from Jalan Thean Teik can only turn left towards Jalan Kampung Pisang, while those from Jalan Kampung Pisang can only turn left to proceed towards Jalan Zoo. Vehicles from Jalan Zoo can also only turn left to reach Jalan Air Itam via Jalan Pisang Rastali.
However, some vehicles from both Jalan Pisang Rastali and Jalan Pisang Embun treat the rectangular divider as a small roundabout, cutting across the roads at the intersection, ignoring traffic rules, and endangering other road users at the same time.
Residents living around the area said that the rectangular divider only appeared several months ago. “You can see many vehicles crossing the road where they are not supposed to. I use this road every day to travel to and from work, and nearly got hit several times,” said one resident.
“Perhaps the police should monitor the traffic around the area, especially during peak hours. Sometimes, not a minute goes by without motorbikes or cars breaking the rules,” said Mohan Veerasamy, 58, a Safety and Security Manager who lives on Jalan Pisang Embun. “It is indeed very dangerous for road users and homeowners, like us. Many accidents have occurred here, and it is also dangerous to cross the road.”
Mohan also expressed worry that something untoward would happen if nothing was done to improve the situation. “Perhaps the authorities could consider making this into a one-way road,” he suggested.
However, another resident who is a retiree, also commented, “When Sunshine Central was built, nobody came to discuss with us. Anyway, I must admit, I sometimes do use the shortcut too. I mean, who wants to go one big round just to arrive at either Jalan Thean Teik or Jalan Kampung Pisang?”
Despite the apparent
danger, the Timur Laut OCPD, ACP Razlam bin Ab Hamid revealed that only one accident
was reported over the past year for Jalan Pisang Rastali while no accidents have
been reported for Jalan Pisang Embun.
* This article was first published in theSun on April 23, 2024.
