LETTER | New plan will send Pudu market down the drain

LETTER | Construction of the Pudu market building in Kuala Lumpur was completed on Jan 7, 1957, and was then named Pasar Road Municipal Market.

After the Central Market was converted into a cultural centre in 1986, this market in Pudu took over as the oldest wet market in the city.

Not long after the first flyover in Kuala Lumpur was built in 1965 at Jalan Kinabalu, a flyover was constructed over Jalan Yew, which connects Jalan Tun Razak to Jalan Sungai Besi, making the Jalan Yew flyover one of the oldest in the city.

This flyover was also the first to be built in between long rows of shophouses facing each other, with the elevated highway passing very close to the upper floors. Over the years, residents, shopkeepers, workers and customers have to put up with the incessant noise, dust, and fumes.

Even so, the public was shocked to learn from a recent report that there are plans to widen the decades-old flyover. If allowed to proceed, residents staying on the upper floors would be able to touch the widened flyover if the windows are not blocked and could still be pushed open.

Traffic gridlock

And during the construction stage, Jalan Yew including the street below the flyover, would have to be closed. This would surely result in traffic gridlock in the entire area, as the street connects the roundabout at Jalan Pudu to the intersection with Jalan Pasar and Jalan Cochrane.

If so, motorists would bypass the entire Pudu market area and all businesses in the vicinity would be badly affected, including Jalan Pasar, which is famous for its large number of shops selling electrical and electronic products.

The hardest hit will be traders inside the Pudu market building and even greater numbers are found in the surrounding open areas. Those operating businesses along Jalan Yew would have to close shop as it would be difficult to send in supplies and for customers to bring out.

And as if it is an ominous sign of bad things to come, shoddy repairs (see pics) were recently carried out on a drain beside the corner coffee shop at Jalan Pasar Baharu, which is also diagonally opposite the main entrance of the historical Pudu market building.

After new concrete covers were placed over the drain, there were several small and large gaps.

If any of these gaps were to be covered by a discarded piece of paper, cardboard or plastic bag, those stepping on them could easily fall after getting get a foot stuck or spraining an ankle.

Untold miseries

We ought to take cognisance of senior citizens frequenting wet markets and often, they had to dodge others coming their way, including foreign workers hurrying with their two-wheel hand push trolleys or be knocked down. There had been quite a few injuries and many close calls.

Instead of addressing clear and present danger, the authorities are more interested in a wasteful project that not only cost a lot of money but could also cause unnecessary inconveniences to motorists and untold miseries to businesses, residents and visitors to the Pudu market area.

Tampering the Jalan Yew flyover comes with many risks, as the old concrete is well-hardened, and the whole structure firmly settled. Adding new pressures and piling more foundations will not only cause stress to the old flyover but will also impact the ancient buildings along Jalan Yew.

What is even more perplexing is that the proposed widening of the Jalan Yew flyover came long after the completion of the Smart Tunnel and Maju Expressway (MEX), both running almost parallel to Jalan Yew, and they were built to give motorists a choice to bypass the old Pudi area.

And a stone’s throw away is the new double-decker Setiawangsa–Pantai Expressway (SPE) under construction. When completed, motorists have the choice of bypassing the Jalan Yew flyover by opting for the Smart Tunnel, MEX or SPE.

Currently, the flyover at Jalan Yew is not a bottleneck and widening it would only allow more vehicles to wait at the widened stretch, as both Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Sungai Besi are notorious for traffic congestion.

Earlier, the construction of the Smart Tunnel was not a very smart idea. It would have been much cheaper and more efficient to build a tunnel fully dedicated to drain away storm water and an elevated highway for vehicles, with both operating without having to shut one down.

Likewise. widening the Jalan Yew flyover is a dumb idea. What will they think of next? Has any social impact assessment been carried out before deciding on the project?

As for the traders, workers, and frequent visitors to the Pudu market area, it would be thumbs down.

The general public, too, will be against the project but if the authorities were to bulldoze their way through, then businesses in the Pudu market area that have been thriving for over 132 years would have to move out, as the never-ending traffic gridlock would drive motorists away.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.