KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — The road upgrade at Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) is a trial project that can be modified if it fails to deliver the intended outcomes, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said today. 

In a reply to Malay Mail, DBKL said it will also conduct another trial with the Fire and Rescue Department to ensure clear passage for emergency vehicles on the altered roads. 

The trial project, implemented in partnership with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety and the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), involved four streets, namely Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1, Jalan Wan Kadir and Jalan Wan Kadir 1.

DBKL said Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh’s office, the TTDI RA and owners of the premises were briefed about the project on December 8 last year before it was executed last month. 

“The pedestrian crossing design applied there is based on the “Global Street Design Guide” that is applied in 42 countries.

“The roads in question were chosen for the trial project due to the high volume of pedestrians and the drivers who illegally park their vehicles which obstructs the pedestrian crossing and creates a hazard,” DBKL said in a statement. 

DBKL said the trial project will be evaluated from various aspects, such as: 

• reducing the speed limit of vehicles
• ensuring safe and comfortable pedestrian crossings
• ensuring vehicles are not parked illegally on road shoulders
• preventing traffic disruptions and allowing vehicles to pass unobstructed

“The trial project is implemented with non-permanent paint and materials that can be removed anytime if the desirable results are not achieved,” it added.

The road alterations drew objections from the TTDI Residents’ Association (RA) recently, which claimed that the new design failed to meet building by-laws, impeded emergency vehicle access and promoted new illegal parking. 

However, DBKL said remedial measures have been implemented following feedback from the Fire and Rescue Department after a fire truck demonstration was held at the altered roads on January 13. 

“Prior to this project, our team observed vehicles parked illegally in front of the fire hydrant.

“So, we drew the yellow box and erased the motorcycle parking designation around the fire hydrant near the Celcom-Digi outlet. 

“However, some irresponsible users were still found parking their vehicles at the yellow box,” it noted.