KUALA LUMPUR: The Puduraya bus terminal will be closed temporarily for four months from March 19.

UDA Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Jaafar Abu Hassan said the closure was to allow for works that would upgrade the terminal and provide more comfort to travellers.

“The upgrading is a drastic step taken by UDA to confront the matters of travel discomfort, lack of amenities and traffic congestion around the terminal.

“The closure also needs to be done for safety as there will be demolition works,” he said at a news conference here on Wednesday.

Jafaar said the upgrading encompassed three stages, namely short term, medium and long term plans.

He said the upgrading work was now at 22 per cent with total completion expected to be at the end of the year.

Jaafar said the first phase of the upgrading involving a new waiting area on the first floor and a passage from the Plaza Rakyat LRT station that cost RM4.5 million was ready before Hari Raya last year.

According to Jaafar, the upgrading work now involved lifts; new ticket selling counters on the first floor; pedestrian paths; a food court on the rooftop; and renewal of exhaust fans in the basement.

“Overall, the process of the second phase of upgrading that costs RM32 million has been 15 per cent completed and is expected to be 70 per cent completed by July,” he said.

He said the terminal upgrading at a total cost of RM52 million will continue with the third phase that will involve mechanical and electrical works including upgrading the waiting area in the basement and the mezzanine floor; 10 new escalators; more people and goods lifts; as well as overall upgrading of the basement.

He said UDA as the owner of the Puduraya bus terminal hoped that it will be fully operational by Hari Raya in September.

“We hope people will be patient during the upgrading as things will be better,” he said.

Jaafar said with the closure, travellers to the south will have to use the temporary bus depot at Jalan Hang Tuah near the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters while the Duta Terminal would be used for travel to the north.

He said the bus operators at Puduraya had agreed to shift to the depots and UDA had prepared 120 bus parking lots as well as waiting areas, trading areas, surau and toilets.

Jaafar said for public convenience the company had also RM2 shuttle service between Puduraya and the Jalan Hang Tuah depot and the Duta Terminal.

fr:mmail.com.my/content/29857-puduraya-bus-terminal-be-closed-march-19-four-months

THE temporary bus depot at the junction of Jalan Pudu and Jalan Galloway was opened to express buses last September after phase one of the project was completed in time to cater for those heading home for Hari Raya Aidil Fitri.

With a capacity for 135 buses once it is fully completed, the depot is meant to ease congestion around the Pudu area as the Puduraya bus terminal undergoes a major facelift.

Recently my family and I were in the Pudu area for a reunion dinner and it was an eysore to see a long stretch of express buses parked by the roadside along Jalan Hang Tuah, starting just before the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

Some of the bus drivers were nowhere to be seen, and their buses had blocked the left turning at the traffic lights in front of Pudu Jail where motorists needed to turn left to get into Jalan Pudu.

Along Jalan Hang Tuah, many motorists had to slowly ease out from the lane that the buses had been parked at after realising that these vehicles were not moving.

As the left turning has been blocked, vehicles had to turn left immediately at the traffic lights and the 20 parked buses stretched all the way till the Puduraya bus terminal.

Half of the two-lane Jalan Pudu was occupied by these parked buses, leaving only one lane for traffic.

Even as we approached the restaurant, turning in to park at the jockey area was difficult as the buses also blocked the outlet’s entrance.

A restaurant staff said their management had complained about the chaotic situation but no action has been taken.

The outlet’s customers also had to be careful when leaving the restaurant as the buses blocked their view.

It started to rain heavily at about 9pm, and soon after, the stretch of Jalan Pudu heading towards the Puduraya terminal was flooded. The sudden downpour was probably too much for the drainage system to cope with and it is time the authorities sorted out the problem since the place is an important area for those travelling to different parts of the country.

It does not make sense to transform the Puduraya terminal into a world-class transport hub but ignore the problems faced by motorists and commuters just outside the terminal.

Also, are the long stretch of buses parked by the roadside a result of the temporary depot near Jalan Hang Tuah being packed to the brim that it could not accommodate these additional express buses.

Perhaps some of the express bus companies are not aware that they are supposed to park at the temporary depot.

Deputy Minister for Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Datuk M. Saravanan said that once the depot was ready, the authorities would be able to ensure that only registered buses used the bays to curb congestion.

Does this mean that some of the parked express buses parked along Jalan Pudu are illegal?

If that is so, it is time the relevant authorities pull up their socks and take action not only against those involved in haphazard parking but also on unregistered transport providers.

There is no two ways about it, enforcement must be beefed up around the Puduraya area to deter buses from parking illegally at the busy Jalan Pudu. Hopefully with strict enforcement and better awareness, the RM6.2mil spent on the new depot at Jalan Hang Tuah is money well spent and becomes a useful facility for the people.

fr:thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/2/22/central/5717863&sec=central

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