The rocky road we travel

MANY people view roads as a metaphor for journeys or even for life. But if the roads in the Klang Valley were used for such a purpose, we would be in for a bumpy ride. Yes, I'm going to talk about the roads in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur.
About two months ago, a factory worker on her way to work went into a 0.5m deep pot hole. She sustained head injuries from the incident and died.
Last December, a motorcyclist hit a pothole in the Middle Ring Road and injured his face.
The roads seem to be deteriorating in most suburbs. Why is money spent on speed bumps when we have so many potholes.
Potholes have become such a bane that we have motorcycle clubs filling in potholes and offering legal aid to injured motorists.
Why is it that as we get more developed, our roads are less safe and; two, consider the lives lost or affected by accidents.
I used to cycle a lot when I was younger, I even had a fragile racing bike. And yet, it never got warped or bent out of shape.
Nowadays, as I drive my car, the unevenness of the roads is so bad it is irritating. I wouldn't dream of taking a racing bike on our roads nowadays. What happened to the quality of roads?
When I was younger, my father told me that heavy vehicles aren't allowed on certain roads and sometimes on any road at certain times. Now, you can find lorries hurtling down highways at all times.
Potholes and cracks arise from high traffic volumes and heavy wheel loads. The great number of heavy vehicles takes its toll on roads.
Some old roads are not meant to take as much traffic and hence the need for limits. Also, rather than having many new developments served by one old road or highway, the developers could build new roads to their housing areas?
Another troublesome thing is roadworks done on weekdays. Not only does this cause traffic snarls, but it also doesn't allow the resurfaced patches to dry properly.
A friend, a constitutional and administrative law specialist, said the answer may be to reintroduce local council elections. Perhaps if this is re-instituted, we would have safer roads, fewer lives lost, fewer injuries and smoother traffic flow.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com