PENAMPANG: As schools, businesses and offices resume, traffic congestion in the surrounding city has been a concern to residents.

Kapayan assemblyman Jannie Lasimbang said she has been receiving regular complaints from road users along the Bundusan, Bukit Padang, Donggongon to SJKC Yue Min, Kepayan to Lido areas about traffice congestions happening on a daily basis.

The causes of traffic congestions are the increase of vehicles, weak traffic systems and limited parking. Road accidents may also cause traffic congestion as they block traffic when these occur.

“I have been forwarding these complaints and requesting the Penampang and Kota Kinabalu OCPDs and I thank them for doing what they can to ease the traffic.

“However, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government and the local authorities must be committed in addressing the traffic congestion issues to ensure the peace of mind and better quality of life of the people”.

She added traffic congestion mainly occurs at peak hours, which is in the morning or evening when people are commuting to work and to school.

Traffic congestions, a waste of time and source of stress

Working people have to leave their homes early and return home late in the evening. Traffic congestions waste a lot of time for people when they should spend more time at home with their family or doing other productive things.

Traffic congestions have affected the quality of life in urban areas and have made it a source of stress and poor mental health for residents.

Jannie said the traffic congestion phenomenon cannot be resolved by only applying physical construction such as increasing road capacities, so the government must look into increasing and ensuring efficient public transportation to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads.

“Local authorities should also consider providing free shuttle services during market days in Donggongon and Lido, while schools should engage parents to arrange bus services for their children.

“It is also necessary to improve traffic control systems for transportation management which is used for control of the traffic phenomenon and help to improve traffic flow.

“The limited parking spaces available in the a number of commercial centres like Donggongon, Kepayan Square and Lido means people have to go several rounds to search for parking resulting in traffic congestion.”

Government should take proactive measures

Unless the government steps in to look into traffic management, public transportation and parking, these issues will continue to build up and exacerbate.

The government can also colloaborate to do coordinated campaigns for road users and the public to use public transportation, to have staggered office time or encourage work-from-home practices, as well as good driving ethics.