Don't Use This Slip Road During Peak Hours

The junction where the slip-road joins Jalan Pahang, in front of the Sikh Temple. Traffic is diverted left into Jalan Pahang, towards Galeria. 

IF you are in Sentul and would like to use the slip-road that links Sentul to Jalan Pahang on weekdays, make sure you do not go there after office hours. This is because a traffic policeman will be station to seal off the junction and you will have to go to Setapak and make a U-turn to get to the city again. This is to help free traffic along Jalan Pahang move faster to Setapak.

Jalan Gombak Now More Dangerous

This U Turn is in front of Ong Tai Kim. No traffic lights. Be careful when approaching this stretch when cars may suddenly slow down to turn.

When the road expansion plan came, I thought it would be good. And it should be, since the widened road will translate into less congestions. But if you were to take a drive from the Ong Tai Kim supermarket till Jalan Pahang tunnel, you will see that there are so many U-turns along the way. Some of these U-turns are next traffic lights, hence making them safer, but many are just random turns. With a bigger road and speeding vehicles, one of these days, some nasty accident is going to happen anwaywhere between Batu 5 and Chong Hwa. Lorries, too, which supply goods to the shops on one side of the road had to use the U Turns to return.
Now, they are working on Jalan Pahang. I hope there wont be as many U-turns there as there have been in Gombak.

Crazy Bus Driver Again!

Everyone who uses the lane parallel to Jalan Genting Kelang knows very well that the traffic is one way and comes opposite to that of Jalan Genting Kelang.

But because of the jams on Jalan Genting Kelang, bikers zip pass on this lane, breaking the law and endangering lives of the people using the stretch, mostly pensioners and other pedestrians, for the morning cup of coffee at several restaurants there. Of late, the public buses have also thrown their weight around and use these lanes just to get to their destination.

As can be seen in these pictures, the conductor even dares to grin as is posing for his picture to be taken. I wonder what Metrobus is doing to control their errant drivers illegally using the slip roads as well as the parallel lane beside Jalan Genting Kelang. And what are the JPJ and traffic police doing about these daily happenings?

Gombak Road Widening - Updates

Tarring of the trunk road leading from Setapak to the upper reaches of Jalan Gombak has begun downstream from Gombak Fifth Mile (Pasaraya Ong Tai Kim). The road shoulders have been tarred sporadically, and this presents an even more dangerous situation for bikers. Loose gravel and uneven road shoulders are a fatal combination should the biker hits the dirt at high speed. Let's hope the contractors will complete the road fast before Chinese New Year!

What A Waste Of Prime Property

Everytime I pass by this complex, which was built in the 90s and opened briefly for two years or so, I wonder who the owners are and why are they not doing something about this eyesore which is now home to stray pigeons.

I am talking about the Galleria, in Jalan Pahang, next door to the Chong Hwa primary school The complex did not take off when it was opened many years ago. Primarily, it was not well promoted. In the days when there was yet to be big complexes, this one was ill-prepared when it opened. It has a small supermarket as anchor tenant and smaller lots of businesses. There were little promotion here if I remember correctly, perhaps due to the fact that the owners did not know to to promote the place. With few activities, shoppers dwindled and the whole place collapsed. Businesses soon moved out and the complex was closed, finally.

I think the main cause of its downfall is the parking lot - they go a number of floors down and the lowest, if it rains heavily, usually gets flooded. The poor parking facility somehow contributed to the downfall of this magnificent building.

I think it would have been more successful if it was turned into a hotel and why not? The shoplots within could be transformed, with a little refurbishment, into rooms. It already has a huge lobby characteristic of a hotel. Let's see what the owners will do with this eyesore.



ps: If you are looking at the facade, look higher at the roof top. You will see a statue of a cockerel frozen in perpetuity as if ready to crow. Why a status of cockerel was placed on to roof top above the main entrance is perplexing. If my guess is right, it has something to do with fengshui - or the lack of it.