Quality of roads in Sri Aman a bone of contention Posted on January 6, 2013, Sunday Borneo Post

KUCHING: The two potential election candidates in Sri Aman yesterday called for more actions to improve the quality of roads there.

One of them was Leon Jimat Donald from the opposition DAP, while the other was Andy Lawrence from the BN-friendly Sarawak Workers Party (SWP).

They each issued a separate press statement, in which they voiced their opinions on what needed to be done.

Leon said he received a complaint from the folks in Nyakai and Siga, Jalan Paip, Sri Aman, that part of the road there had collapsed and is hazardous to motorists despite having recently been upgraded.

Upon visiting the site, he pointed to the huge hole in the middle of the road that is causing a lot of inconvenience to motorists.

“ The huge hole in the middle of the road presents a clear and present danger to the folks using it everyday, especially now when we are experiencing heavy rain in Sri Aman nearly everyday. Driving through Jalan Paip can be dangerous,” he said.

Believing the problem was due to poor workmanship of contractors, he said the people in the area had urged the divisional Public Works Department (JKR) to repair the road as soon as possible before any untoward incidents should happen to motorists.

“DAP Sri Aman will write a formal complaint as soon as possible to JKR Sri Aman requesting them to act immediately in repairing the road,” said Leon, also DAP Sri Aman branch chief.

Meanwhile, Andy said several locals approached him regarding the congestion at the stretch of about eight kilometres from Temudok T-junction into Sri Aman town.

“The traffic crawl happens especially during working days when the people of Sri Aman go to and from work as the main road is also the only access to the main housing estates in Sri Aman.

“Compounding the situation are rogue drivers, especially those driving heavy vehicles, when they attempt to overtake to get to the front of the queue endangering other motorists, especially motorcyclists,” said Andy, who has personal experience of the situation, having stayed in Sri Aman for many years.

Andy, who is SWP supreme council member, suggested the road be turned into a dual carriageway, or constructing overtaking lanes if there is lack of space.

“SWP appeals to the relevant authorities to look into the matter and find a long-term solution.

“It is high time to act on this issue as the number of vehicles continuously increases and it is prudent to avoid unwanted incidents in time of life-threatening emergencies as ambulances and fire engines ultimately have to use this very main road,” he said.

He also believed that by having this road system improved, it could have significant impact on Sri Aman town business activities.

“One of the reasons why people travelling from Kuching to Sibu-Miri are not motivated to stop by Sri Aman is due to the time it takes to drive from the junction to town, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes or maybe more during peak hours,” he added