BY GRACE CHEN

The carpark is built for parents and school bus drivers to wait for school hours to end.

FOR 10 years, residents in Taman Kaya, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, had to put up with snarling traffic during the school peak hours of 7am to 8am and 3pm to 5pm.

They are blaming motorists who double- and triple-park along the narrow roads as the latter drop off and pick up students from two schools in the residential area.

Resident Perin Bacumarasamy said an ambulance would not be able to pass through in an emergency.

Residents are also frustrated that these motorists park their cars in front of the houses, blocking the houseowners’ access.

“They are poisoning our air with carbon monoxide,” said resident Harvinder Kaur, who has given up on her morning walks because of this.

Residents said the traffic problem was compounded by the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE), running parallel above the residential streets of Jalan Khalsa and Jalan Sungkai, and 400-bay carpark right under it.

They said it not only brought worsening traffic problems but also flash floods in Jalan Khalsa and Jalan Sungkai.

Jalan Sungkai resident Soo Lian Cheai said the newly constructed carpark was elevated a metre above ground, causing rainwater to run down onto Jalan Khalsa and Jalan Sungkai and turning both streets into muddy waterways during heavy rain.

He also noted that the carpark left the street narrower and made it dangerous for two-way traffic negotiating the sharp corner into Jalan Selama.

DUKE builder Ekovest Sdn Bhd’s managing director Tan Sri Lim Keng Cheng explained that the carpark was built to alleviate the traffic congestion in the residential area.

He said the facility provided a proper place for parents and school bus drivers to park while waiting for school hours to end.

On the flood issue, Lim said the carpark had a drainage system and that he would ask the contractors to find a solution.

He said the carpark had approval from Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Malaysian Highway Authority and Tenaga Nasional Bhd before work commenced.

He added that residents forward any grievances about the carpark to DUKE assistant general manager Loh Pak Chun.

Gerakan vice-president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau advised DUKE and the school authorities to have better engagement with residents, saying it was crucial for affected parties to be given the big picture.

Lau also urged parents of students attending the schools in the area, to be considerate towards residents.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who attended a residents’ meeting to hear their grouses, said he would engage the authorities of both schools to see what could be done to ease traffic congestion there.