THE massive traffic congestion that happens daily in Kota Samarahan, to a certain extent, can be said to be a blessing in disguise.
This may sound ridiculous but that’s the truth if we care to look deeper into the root causes of the problem.
We all know that traffic congestion is normally caused by a combination of factors. Of course, we cannot deny that it can be due to poor traffic management that results in improper timing of traffic lights, insufficient or badly placed road signs, limited road capacity, ongoing construction, and lack of public transport options.
Other factors may include accidents or vehicle breakdowns, inefficient urban planning that does not account for traffic flows, and parking options, and weather condition.
Conversely, traffic congestion does not usually occur in areas that are underdeveloped or have a small population.
So what does the traffic congestion in Kota Samarahan tells us? In part, it shows that Kota Samarahan’s population is growing and the whole municipality is undergoing rapid development.
According to Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) chairman, Datuk Peter Minos, the town now has a population of about 300,000 and an estimated 50,000 residential homes excluding shopping malls, shop lots and offices.
Kota Samarahan is also home to two universities — Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Universiti Institute Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM) — with about 40,000 students.
Minos said the town is a migration destination for people looking for cheaper houses compared to Kuching city. All these combined with the expanding commercial centres have contributed to the higher number of vehicles on the road, thus causing massive jams during peak hours.
In other words, traffic congestion is a strong indicator that the area is undergoing rapid progress and population growth which, as stated above, is a blessing in disguise.
The same trend can also be observed in Bau town where people are also complaining about daily traffic congestion during peak hours. The answer is obvious — Bau town is undergoing rapid progress.
All this while, the people have been blaming roundabouts for the congestion in Kota Samarahan.
Responding to the complaints, the authorities have decided to replace the roundabouts with traffic lights. Work is actively being carried out to get the job done and this inevitably contributes to escalated traffic congestion.
The most badly affected stretch is between the INTAN roundabout in Kota Samarahan and Stutong in Kuching city.
The congestion causes stress to commuters, particularly those who have to ply the route daily. So far, the worst jam occurred sometime last month. The gridlock caused many motorists to get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for up to six hours.
The relevant authorities have long acknowledged the problem and were doing their best to resolve the problem. Currently, a road is also being constructed connecting the Sejingkat Bridge in Kuching and Second Kuching-Samarahan Trunk Road project to serve as an alternative route.
The implementation of phase one of the proposed Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) will also be implemented in Kota Samarahan. All these are aimed at easing road congestion.
However, as Minos said, all the ongoing mitigating initiatives are only temporary in the sense that their effectiveness will only last until the population of Kota Samarahan reaches critical mass again and give rise to a new wave of traffic congestion.
He, therefore, proposed the construction of an elevated expressway — from Institute Tadbiran Awam Negara (INTAN) roundabout in Kota Samarahan to Stutong in Kuching — to serve as a long-term fix.
“The ART will only be able to resolve the problem by 50% or 60% at most. With the population increase, the problem will get worse in no time.
“I figured that only an elevated expressway can ease traffic congestion long into the future. It might even eliminate the problem.”
Many quarters are supportive of his proposal so far, hailing it as sensible and practical.
An elevated expressway would reduce travel time and improve road safety and can have a positive economic impact.
But, frankly, there is no permanent solution to traffic congestion. We can only reduce it, but up to a certain point, after which other solutions will have to be found and eliminated.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
