Monday June 10, 2013 Motorists find it hard to make sense of poorly planned road signage Peek-a-boo : A signage blocked by trees at the end of NKVE highway heading towards Persiaran Surian. FRUSTRATED motorists are dubbing Klang Valley the “land of signs and wonders”. You follow the road signs, and then wonder where you are! Driving on the network of highways and byways here is not for the faint-hearted. Not only do you have to contend with errant drivers, traffic jams and the terrible road conditions, driving to an unfamiliar destination becomes more complicated because of confusing signboards or the lack of proper ones. For those not in possession of a global positioning system (GPS) device, accurate and visible signboards are a necessity. A recent StarMetro check with drivers in the Klang Valley revealed that there was still much to be done to improve signboards in and around the cities. The most common grievances highlighted by motorists was that road signs were either blocked, unsuitably placed or even overcrowded. Hard to make out: A street sign in Kajang is hardly visible after a local council removed the illegal advertisement stickers. — filepic Old road signs, new diversions and upgrading works also contribute to motorists getting lost. Auditor Thevendra Naido, 26, said the road signs located near Glenmarie Shah Alam heading towards Sungai Buloh/Ipoh were confusing. “The road sign that states ‘Ipoh’ does not take you to the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), but instead takes you to Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE). “The GCE is a shorter route only if you are heading towards Rawang or north to Ipoh and Penang. “However, if you are planning on heading towards Sungai Buloh, Kepong and Kota Damansara, this expressway is a longer route with two tolls. “These signboards are misleading, and a first-time user on this route will be led to using the longer route,” Thevendra said, adding that the relevant authorities should correct this signboard. Another motorist, Vincent Fatianathan Kolandasamy, 58, is annoyed that many signboards had been unsuitable placed in locations that can confuse motorists or, even worse, cause them to drive recklessly. “This is a recurring issue especially on our highways. For example, if you are travelling from Subang Jaya and want to head to Bangsar via the New Pantai Expressway (NPE), the first signboard before the toll shows Bangsar. “But the next signboard is about 100m after the toll, which is too far a distance to read properly, so the driver cannot safely make a decision ahead of time regarding which turnoff to use,” said Vincent. A drive along this route proved to be true as the second signboard was located at the junction between the two turnoffs — Pusat Damansara/Bangsar on the left and Seremban/Sungai Besi on the right. This is a potential hazard as the eight lanes at the toll had merged into four, with some motorists resorting to criss-crossing the entire width of the road. There is also a small sign to indicate directions to popular tourist destinations such as KLCC, which is easily missed and consequently people take the wrong turn. Too many signboards could prove detrimental too. For example, if one was to head to Kepong via the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP). The numerous signboards after Bandar Utama make it difficult to navigate, especially if the driver is unsure of the route. Most of the time, motorists end up paying extra for toll and making a few more rounds before reaching their intended destinations. Another common sight are the many signboards and street signs completely covered with illegal advertisement stickers or blocked by structures and tree branches. Writer Samantha Chow, 22, is fed up with badly-maintained and vandalised signboards. “For example, there is a no-entry sign at the corner of a one-way street in Jalan SS24/2, Taman Megah in Petaling Jaya. “As I am not familiar with the area, I have unknowingly driven through the street from the wrong end as I cannot see the sign at all, only to block the cars coming from the other side. “People who live in the area may be familiar with the roads and know that it is a one-way street but for those like me, we need clear and visible signboards so that we do not make mistakes,” said Chow. She added that this could be dangerous for both motorists and pedestrians.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:46:15 +0000
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