PETALING JAYA, July 23 — City police have expressed concern over the safety of spectators, drivers and their crew when the first street car racing takes place in the heart of the city next month.

Sources said they were worried about insufficient safety measures for the Kuala Lumpur City Grand Prix which will see the closure of five major roads.

“It appears no proper planning was done for a race of this size. There are many safety issues involved, including crowd control,” he said.

“The race is almost here but we have yet to meet City Hall to discuss the safety measures.”

He also queried if the barricades along the roads were able to prevent untoward incidents.

He said the placement of concrete barriers and fencing and the fitting of special debris fences alone were insufficient. Apart from safety aspects, the road diversion during the three-day race would disrupt traffic not only in the city but also other roads leading into Kuala Lumpur.

“The distance between the spectators and the race track is worrying. We will bring this matter up when we meet City Hall.

“A race of such magnitude is open to accidents and it is imperative all necessary measures are taken to minimise potential threats.

“We have yet to be informed when the meeting with City Hall will take place. We are running out of time.” 

Another insider said: “City Hall was supposed to plan the road diversion and this is not going to be easy. These are the main roads of the city.

“We already have queries from the public, asking about the road closure. We do not have an answer.

“We are expecting more questions from the public in the coming week. Hopefully, we will be able to answer them then.”

KL police chief Datuk Tajuddin Mat Isa confirmed they have yet to meet City Hall, saying: “We are part of the organising committee but we have yet to sit down with City Hall to discuss safety measures that would be put in place.

“The meeting between has yet to be confirmed.”