DBKL: Status of Jalan TAR closure to be decided after Hari Raya

KUALA LUMPUR (April 6): Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will decide on whether to make the closure of the 1km-long Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR) “a permanent or semi-permanent fixture” after Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the New Straits Times (NST) reported today.

City Hall executive director (project management) Datuk Mohd Najib Mohd said DBKL expected people “to go against the plan, at least until they could learn about the closure’s benefits”.

Explaining DBKL’s plan for Jalan TAR, he told NST that: “Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR) was the main artery and we saw it as vital shopping area, so we commissioned architect Kenzo Tange to come up with a plan.

“This was long overdue and having it come into effect under the River of Life (RoL) project enhances the RoL’s success story.”

He said the closure of the street will actually “boost trade”.

“The more people walk, the more they will see things and engage traders. If you let cars come in, this will be lost.

“So we are bringing it back to 100 years ago, before vehicles came to Kuala Lumpur.

“People can go back to basics and enjoy a safer shopping experience. As Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidlifitri draw near, people will flock to the area,” he said.

Najib said the aim “under RoL” was make Jalan TAR like roads such as Oxford Street in London “while relegating private vehicles to peripheral roads”.

As for the negative public feedback over plans “to close the road for several months before reviewing its [DBKL’s] decision”, he told the daily that “Jalan TAR was not even serving its original function as a convenient artery with one lane of the road clogged with illegally parked vehicles”.

“Illegal parking contributes to traffic congestion. In any other city, you can see what happens within the first two to four minutes of this. We have been complacent and tolerant for so long. People have to stop habits like parking in front of their favourite restaurant. This is not city living,” Najib added.

The decision to implement any form of permanent closure of Jalan TAR was up to Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad, Najib said.

The closure of Jalan TAR started at 8am today and will last for 40 hours.