Stop KIDEX project, Selangor MB urged

SHAH ALAM: A group of Petaling Jaya residents today called on Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to act immediately to stop the proposed construction of the 14.9km Kinrara-Damansara Highway (KIDEX) as it will affect the people in the area.
They held a 20-minute protest in the morning outside the administrative building of the state government before their spokesman, David Yoong, handed over a five-point memorandum to Khalid's private secretary Mohd Yasid Bidin.
Yoong, who is the "Say No to KIDEX" campaign secretary, told reporters the proposed four-lane highway project would cause a depreciation in property value even for those not directly affected, the destruction of heritage and disruption to family and businesses that have been in the area for a long time.
He said there would also be traffic woes and safety hazards as it would be a highway built above many existing roads and would also go against the city council's plan to make Petaling Jaya a low-carbon footprint, green, liveable and sustainable city.
The project would also go against Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) Manifesto Rakyat 2013, which promised to abolish tolls, but KIDEX would be a tolled highway, he added.
"PR has acted on KIDEX without prior consultation with the people," he said. "Most Petaling Jaya residents are against the project because any highway built should take out and not bring in traffic into the area."
He also said the construction of the proposed highway at certain parts would be too close to certain schools and buildings in Petaling Jaya.
For example, at one point it will be just five metres from SK Seri Petaling or seven metres from Tun Abdul Aziz Mosque in Jalan Semangat.
"Thus, major traffic jams can be expected. Motorists are already facing traffic woes daily along Jalan Semangat. Any highway built should be 100m on either side from these building or residential areas," he said.
KIDEX, estimated to cost RM2.2 billion, will have two lanes in each direction and a skyway 6 to 24m high over many parts of the city. It will start from the North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) toll gate near Bandar Utama and end up at the Bukit Jalil Highway at Kinrara.