I am writing to express my concerns over the severe traffic congestion and perilous road conditions near a school at Simpang 340 in Jalan Gadong. As a community member, I believe it is imperative to bring these issues to light to ensure the safety and well-being of students as well as the public.
The traffic congestion in the vicinity of the school during peak hours has reached an alarming level. The heavy traffic not only causes significant delays but also poses a serious risk to the safety of the students, parents and other road users. The bottleneck around the school entrance, especially during drop-off and pick-up times, has resulted in chaotic and hazardous conditions.
The situation is exacerbated by: insufficient parking spaces for school personnel and improper parking by certain drivers, leading to blocked roads and further delays; bus stop being blocked, leading to bus joining the crowd queue and further obstructing traffic; and double and triple parking.
Two out of three lanes are often parked and occupied by vehicles during peak hours, causing traffic congestion. In addition, the parked vehicles cause a blind spot and barrier for drivers coming out of Simpang 340 to the U-turn along Jalan Gadong.
During off-peak hours, the school entrance and the road along Simpang 340 are occupied by school personnel. The situation is worsened during peak hours, when no proper traffic management is done, and parents are forced to resort to illegal parking in the surrounding residential areas.
To top it off, the condition of the roads outside the school vicinity are deteriorating rapidly. Potholes and uneven road surfaces pose a risk to both motorists and pedestrians, made worse by the busy traffic. It doesn’t help that there are no pedestrian crossings and speed limit signs in sight.
We are pro-education. We want a school in our community. We want students to have access to education. However, we, as road users, would like to be able to ingress and egress from the school safely. Thus, I hope the authorities would take note of the adverse effects of school traffic on the residents in the area.
Concerned Resident
