KUALA LUMPUR: A taskforce has been set up to oversee and study traffic flow in Kuala Lumpur, a move aimed to reduce the worsening congestion in the capital city.

The team under the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will also work with the police to disperse traffic at major roads during peak hours.

Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias, who chairs the taskforce, said this operation would start immediately.

He said that enforcement personnel would be mobilised to 85 traffic hotspots to regulate traffic in the morning and evening.

“Some 72 locations will be manned by the police and another 13 by DBKL officers,” he told reporters here today.

The minister said signboards would be placed in strategic locations to warn heavy vehicles from entering the city on certain hours.

“These include the morning and evening sessions, namely from 6.30am to 9.30am and 4.30pm to 7.30pm, daily,” he said.

As a medium-term measure to improve traffic conditions, Jalaluddin said DBKL would also disallow any type of obstruction on road shoulders.

“All roadside parking bays and trading lots meant for small traders in the city will be removed in stages.

“All traffic-related signs will be updated, and stronger enforcement will be carried out on yellow boxes at intersections,” he said.

Calls for a review of traffic conditions in Kuala Lumpur intensified in recent weeks, especially on social media, as the public grew frustrated with the daily problem.

To this end, Jalaluddin said the taskforce proposed six ways as a long-term measure to tackle congestion in the capital.

The proposal, he added, included expanding public transport networks, as well as encouraging its use among the public.

“It also involves the re-enforcement of bus lanes and a need to integrate between the different highway concessionaires to ensure better traffic dispersal.

“Another proposal being considered is to build more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure such as underpasses and underground tunnels,” he said.

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