There was a massive jam where some motorists were stuck for two hours on the short stretch to get to the Kewajipan interchange.
They braved the long crawl only to find the right turning into Kesas heading towards Klang was closed off, resulting in them having to proceed further to the next traffic lights to make an illegal U-turn.
In Subang Jaya Municipal Council’s (MPSJ) proposed plan, those heading towards Klang from Subang Jaya were advised to turn left into Kesas (KL-bound) and make a U-turn just before the Sunway toll.
Kota Kemuning resident Ong Jian Jie said at midnight on Aug 18, traffic was crawling from the Kewajipan roundabout all the way to the interchange junction.
“It is very dangerous for road users coming from the Persiaran Kewajipan interchange to move right from the extreme left to make a U-turn in front of the Sunway toll,” said Ong.
The new traffic dispersal plan along Persiaran Kewajipan stops cars from USJ turning into Kesas (KL bound) for the first phase and from Subang Jaya into Kesas (Klang bound) for the second phase.
MPSJ’s Facebook page was also flooded with comments from angry motorists calling for a cancellation of the traffic dispersal plan.
Tan Yeng Yap said people needed to get used to the new traffic dispersal plan.
“Traffic is smooth during non-peak hours so maybe we should give it some time before deciding if it works,” he said.
USJ 6 resident Juan Lee said he used Persiaran Kewajipan every morning and that the congestion was a short-term inconvenience.
“Motorists coming from Subang are not aware that they can’t turn right into Kesas, so they have to make a U-turn at Da Men Mall (in USJ 1),” he said.
Kesas operations and engineering division deputy general manager Mazlan Muridan said many motorists were still unaware of the change in traffic flow.
He said they usually needed at least two weeks to educate drivers on new traffic management plans.
Mazlan said they were monitoring the issue 24 hours a day and working together with MPSJ, the police and Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng's office to identify problems and possible action plans.
Ng said the congestion on Aug 18 was not only because of the closure as there were other contributing factors which resulted in the unusual traffic jam, including the Seri Setia by-election nominaton day.
“It will take at least two weeks to a month for motorists to learn the new route. Congestion at the beginning is expected,” she added.
Ng said they also received positive feedback from road users.
“The system will be a constant work in progress. The authorities are working round the clock and we hope road users can cooperate with us and be patient,” she added.
