PETALING Jaya residents concerned about the proposed Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) highway have decided to conduct their own assessment of the project.

They have started “The PJ People’s Social Survey on PJ Dispersal Link Highway” to gauge feedback from residents.

Petaling Jaya resident and co-organiser of the survey David Yoong said it was created to get feedback from people and within the direct zone of influence of the proposed highway.

“It also reaches out to the greater part of Petaling Jaya, because when heavy construction begins next to existing roads, traffic jams may occur.

“This may send off a ripple effect, causing chaos where there might be the heightened risk of accidents from falling or flying objects,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Residents in the area have long objected to the project but they are unsure if the highway has been given the go-ahead.

They are now seeking answers from both the state and federal governments.

Yoong said the authors of the survey are professionals in engineering, urban design and information technology, in close consultation with an independent socio-economist.

He said another issue of concern is the environmental impact of the project.

“Additionally, if and when the alignment of the highway was to run through the hall of a Petaling Jaya school or an ingress/egress ramp is to be constructed on the field of another, many more school children, their parents, teachers and the education authorities will be directly affected.”

He added that many people still do not understand the impact of an urban highway and how it will affect them.

“Many may not be familiar with details like where they can access the highway considering it is running in the air, so to speak.”

Yoong raised issues such as the location of ramps and toll plazas, and whether the highway will link to public transport stations.

He hoped the survey will extend to residents in Puchong, Bandar Kinrara and nearby Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

“They should all be rightly concerned about the interactive balance between perceived benefits versus adversities brought on by a large-scale infrastructure project such as a proposed elevated, tolled highway running through mature urban environments.”

He said that their objective is to independently and systemically capture and report people’s feedback, so it can be carefully analysed alongside the perceived and potential benefits against any harmful or undesirable effects.

Yoong added that their survey is endorsed by a group representing the city’s residents’ associations, joint management bodies, management corporations and civil society organisations.

He added that former Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah has also agreed to endorse the process and results of this parallel survey.

The survey was rolled out in the second week of February, and will run till the end of next month.

To date, about 1,000 people have filled in the survey, while the group targets feedback from at least 4,000 respondents.

Yoong said that once the survey results are ready and have been scrutinised by observers, they will be made public, including sending copies to PLANMalaysia, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, the state exco, affected MPs and assemblymen, and the city council.

He said this would reflect the people’s voice on the impact of a tolled, elevated urban highway.

Yoong also hopes that lawmakers can relay the message to the following ministries: works; transport; national resources, environment and climate change; and science, technology and innovation.

“This may shed some light (on the issue) to help the government plan, regulate, mould and sustain the desired type of living environment that the people truly want.”

It was reported that the federal government had, in principle, previously approved the PJD Link, Putrajaya-Bangi Expressway, and Kuala Lumpur Northern Dispersal Expressway projects.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof was works minister when he said the PJD Link developer must submit relevant impact assessment reports, and that the project would need the state government and ministry’s approval to proceed.

Meanwhile, the survey can be found here. – February 20, 2023.