VPU success story, in USJ12...

VPU success story, in USJ12...


Dear Meng Chin,

I just foiled an attempt break-in at my immediate neighbour this afternoon at 3.30 pm

When I came back to my house at 3.30 pm , I saw a car parked in front of my neighbour's front gate
with a guy opening the electronic gate and another guy at the wheel. on seeing my car park in front 
of theirs, the guy outside rushed into the car and sped off.

These two "thieves" are Chinese in their mid twenties and the car they drove is a silver Toyata Vios
with registration number WUS 7409.
I spoke to my neighbour after he comes back from work and he confirmed that they are Definitely
not his friends or relatives.

Please inform our fellow VPU to look out for this car during their round.


Regards,
Roger Tan

Register Now!! National Forum on Public Transportation in Malaysia


Issues raised with Jawatankuasa Pengindahan Bandar Oct 2012


1) We should be serious about keeping our street free of rubbish. We should start by stopping our contractors from keeping yellow bags on the streets, especially overnight

2) Illegal advertisements are supposed to be cleaned every Saturday by the cleaning contractor. However, it doesn't seem to be done in many parts of Subang Jaya. Question: How is monitoring done? What action have we taken towards contractor who have failed to do this. 

3) We need to re-think how we handle bulk waste. Yes, we already have a system in place, but for the last few years, it is simply not working. Suggest a special committee / small committee, to re-think this process. 

Shaming the litterbugs, vandals


Shaming the litterbugs, vandals
Writer: Brenda Ch'ng
Published: Fri, 31 Aug 2012
SUBANG JAYA: Vandals, litterbugs and other wrongdoers may feature over video-sharing website YouTube if a proposal by a councillor is adopted by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ).
Footage of illegal dumping, misuse of billboards or sticking  Ah Long (loan shark) stickers caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras around town may be edited and uploaded online.
“This may be an effective way to tell people not to dump rubbish along the road and for offenders not to repeat their actions,” said MPSJ councillor Tai Cheng Heng.
He raised the proposed at MPSJ’s full board meeting on Wednesday and further urged the council’s enforcement department to monitor hotspots and issue summonses to those dumping rubbish illegally.
Tai pointed out that enforcement officers can compile footage of illegal dumping and patrol the rubbish hotspots to catch offenders.
“We will look into uploading the CCTV footage online but those involving crime cases will not be uploaded,” said council president Datuk Asmawi Kasbi.
He pointed out that the CCTVs were initially installed to help the police monitor crime and traffic flow rather than monitor illegal dumping.
The CCTV control room, which operates 24 hours, is manned by about three officers during the day and two at night.
Currently, MPSJ has 100 CCTVs installed around town at crime hotspot areas which were identified by the police based on the number of cases recorded.
MPSJ will also be installing another 74 CCTVs to monitor crime and traffic flow around the area by December.
Asmawi said the council will be using all 174 CCTVs to monitor and record council matters to help them improve services around town, in addition to helping the police monitor crime.
Apart from uploading CCTV footage on YouTube, MPSJ will also be uploading public service announcements on their channel which can be found on their website www.mpsj.gov.my.
Among them are videos on how to dispose of garbage properly, vandalism, dengue prevention and MPSJ events.

USJ field green again: Restoring USJ11 football field


USJ field green again

Published: Fri, 31 Aug 2012
SUBANG JAYA: The USJ 11/1 football field, which has been plagued with patches of barren soil for the past few years, has now been replanted with grass by the local council.
Yeoh (fourth from left), Muhammad Zaki (second from left), Rajiv (left), Wong (fourth from right) and Khoo (right) at the new-look field. (Inset) The damaged field before it was patched up.
“It will take three months for the grass to grow,” said Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) Youth, Sport and Culture senior assistant director Muhammad Zaki Yusoff.
The council will then carry out rolling works to ensure the 10,988 sq metre field is level.
Muhammad Zaki was speaking to the press during a visit at the field on Tuesday.
He said the estimated cost to repair the field was RM180,000 but after an open tender, the field was patched up for RM150,000.
“Field maintenance will be RM5,900 a month, which includes cutting grass twice a month, fertilisers, and cleaning nearby futsal courts.”
Work to construct drains around the field to prevent water retention will be completed in three weeks.
“The field is now much nicer. It used to be so sandy from soil erosion that you could make sandcastles here,” said resident Gary Wong.
He said the field, together with the futsal court, volleyball court, and skateboard park next to it, enjoyed heavy usage by residents from the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Wong, who has been living in USJ 11 for 16 years, says he now looks forward to bringing his three children to the field to play.
“It is a big improvement. I hope the field can stay like this or even improve further,” said USJ 11/3 Residents’ Association chairperson Jeffrey Khoo.
Also present during the visit was Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh who said the field is the biggest in the area and as such is heavily used.
She called on nearby residents to monitor visitors to the field and advise them not to use it until the grass has fully grown.
Concerning individuals who drink bottled beverages at the field and leave broken glass behind, she urged residents to call the police if they see such people.
“Don’t confront them. Call the police and let the authorities deal with them,” said MPSJ councillor Rajiv Rishyakaran who was also present.
Yeoh added that she will be using her allocation to place more lights at the field for added security at night.

 Selangor Times

Talam Issue

YB Tony Pua & YB Teresa Kok will be speaking on the Talam issue, in a public dialog as follows:


Date of event : 3rd November 2012 (Saturday)
Time             : 8-11pm
Venue           : Dewan Serbaguna MPSJ, Puchong Indah


SS16 (East) Traffic Proposals

One of the traffic bottlenecks and annoyance in SS16 today is the que to u-turn at the traffic light in front of Carrefour Subang Jaya. This que caters to cars originating from Persiaran Kewajipan, and some from SS15/5, that are trying to access the developments in East SS16, from Carrefour, Subang Avenue up to Mesiniaga, as well as the KTM Komuter Station. They have no choice but to u-turn at this junction. This junction also caters for vehicles that need to turn right to access Subang Parade and Saujana Residency.

The simple solution of traffic light timing increase is not very practical here, as it will cause traffic to backlog on both Persiaran Kemajuan (in front of Subang Parade), possibly clogging the other traffic light in front of Subang Parade & Wisma Consplant. One the other side, at Jln SS16/2, it is the only way out (besides making a loop all the way to Subang SOHO) for vehicles exiting Carrefour, Subang Avenue, etc to the rest of Subang Jaya. 

The suggestion that I had put forward a couple of years ago is finally showing signs of materialising. The proposal is for Junction 1 in the diagram below to be upgraded, so vehicles from Persiaran Kewajipan can directly access Jalan SS16/1, and all the developments on it. This should shorten the driving distance, time and frustration for most drivers heading this direction. 


When this is done, The right turn into SS16/2 can be closed, giving smoother and faster passage for vehicles exiting SS16/2 and cars coming from Subang Parade towards Carrefour. 

This wasn't done earlier, mostly because of the high cost involved in upgrading the junction 1. There are a lot of utilities that needs to be relocated to make this work. Thus, MPSJ has imposed this upon Prasarana for the construction of the LRT station 4, to do this upgrading. 

Another suggestion that I had made is to connect the inner road in front of Subang Avenue, Casa Tiara to Persiaran Kemajuan, under the flyover. This will give the residents and shoppers there a faster dispersal, rather than going one round around SS16/1, thru SS16/2 to come back to Persiaran Kemajuan. This suggestion is still under evaluation by MPSJ. 
The ban of heavy vehicles from our 2 main roads (Persiaran Kewajipan & Persiaran Tujuan) during morning and evening hour was first mooted in 2010. Here's a link on what I've written on the subject back then:
http://www.rajiv4malaysia.com/2010/07/ban-of-heavy-vehicles-during-peak-hours.html

This matter was deliberated for a good few months, before the council approved the matter in December 2010. Since then, and after the necessary procedures to gazette the move, the ban has come into force.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(as reported by Selangor Times)


Peak hour heavy vehicles ban

Published: Fri, 21 Sep 2012
SUBANG JAYA: In a move to ease traffic congestion, vehicles weighing more than 10 tonnes are banned from Persiaran Tujuan and Persiaran Kewajipan during peak hours starting  from Sept 20.
Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) deputy president Abdullah Marjunid told reporters heavy vehicles such as tankers are no longer allowed on the two roads between 6.30am and 9.30am and from 4.30pm to 7.30pm.
“We’ll give logistics companies and lorry drivers a buffer period of one month to adapt and reschedule their journeys,” said Abdullah at a press conference.
He said traffic police, the Road Transport Department and MPSJ enforcement officers will start to issue summonses of up to RM300 to errant drivers after the buffer period.
Abdullah said the council has set up 20 notice boards along the two main roads to inform lorry and truck drivers about the peak hour ban.
Section 70(2) of the Road Transport Act 1987 allows enforcement authorities to prohibit or restrict the use of specified roads by vehicles of any specified class during particular hours.


Council told to issue more summonses

Speaking up on enforcement, especially in areas where there are ample legal car park such as Subang Parade/Empire area of SS16 as well as Taipan, with its multi-storey car park. Illegal car park contributes to congestion, which affects and annoys everyone.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



Council told to issue more summonses

Published: Fri, 31 Aug 2012
SUBANG JAYA: The increase in illegally parked cars around commercial areas has raised concern among some councillors who were worried that enforcement officers were not monitoring the hotspots enough.
“There are so many cases of double parking especially at Taipan and SS15, causing traffic congestion and I see fewer officers around issuing summonses,” said Subang Jaya municipal councillor (MPSJ) R Rajiv.
He said this during the council’s full board meeting and hopes MPSJ enforcement officers will patrol the areas more.
Currently, MPSJ has implemented a few methods like issuing fines, clamping, towing and the use of locks summon (kunci saman).
The “kunci saman”, which has been implemented since December 2009, involves a yellow tag which will be attached to the side mirrors of illegally parked vehicles.
Motorists who want the tags removed will have to settle the fine of RM80 before having the yellow lock removed by enforcement officers.
However, the number of yellow tags returned seems to be decreasing since 2010 and MPSJ currently does not have enough stock to issue anymore lock summons.
MPSJ has tried re-collecting the lock summons by issuing hundreds of notices, reminding motorists to pay up their summonses and return the yellow tags.
So far, only 75 per cent have paid up and returned the yellow tags while 400 others were found to have vandalised the lock.
“These 400 cases are pending court case and if brought to court, they will be fined a maximum of RM2,000 and possibly face a six-month fail sentence,” said MPSJ legal adviser Anita Abd Jalil.
She added that MPSJ has ordered more lock summonses and they will start implementing this at Bandar Puteri’s commercial area next year.
“For now, we will resort to clamping and summonses. But I hope the court will put the vandals in jail for one week or even for just a day to teach them a lesson,” said MPSJ president Datuk Asmawi Kasbi.
He hopes this move will deter any future errant motorists from destroying the yellow tags or any council property.

 Selangor Times

More needed to improve transport system: In response to Budget 2013

This article and quotes in it are in response to Prime Minister Najib's tabling of Budget 2013.


More needed to improve transport system
Teoh El Sen | September 28, 2012
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/09/28/more-needed-to-improve-transport-system/

The Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit is not impressed by the budget proposals.
PETALING JAYA: Budget 2013 has little to offer in the way of improving the public transport system, especially in the Klang Valley, according to the Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit (Transit).

Transit spokesman R Rajiv said that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s announcements were disappointing, even though some people might initially be impressed, especially with the proposal to extend the 50% discount on KTM Komuter tickets to people earning RM3,000 and less.

“There’s really nothing much on public transport; he should have done more,” said Rajiv.
“Instead of giving out BR1M 2.0, why not just give out bus passes for one year? That could be a radical solution.
“Instead of focusing on a discount, we must focus on fare integration.”

However, he welcomed the announcement about expanding the services of Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad to other cities besides Kuala Lumpur.
“Hopefully Rapid Kuantan and Rapid Ipoh will complement rather than compete and kill off each other,” he said. “But we won’t comment more on that until we see more of the plans.”
On the proposal to give school bus operators a RM10,000 cash rebate and 2% interest subsidy on loans for new buses, Rajiv said this should extend to all types of buses.

“Bus operators are having a hard time, and passenger numbers are dropping. The financial viability of bus operators is really something we desperately need to address.
“The Klang Valley is growing bigger and bigger, and there are no new bus routes. People would rather buy cars, and when that happens, nobody takes the buses anymore.”

Rajiv, who is a Subang Jaya municipal councillor, said Transit had always advocated a “complete network” of buses for the Klang Valley, which has 1,200 buses for a population of about seven million.
He made a comparison with London, which is nearly similar in population as well as geographical size. It has 7,500 buses.
“While I agree with Pakatan’s shadow budget that we should immediately get 1,000 more buses, this is still not enough. We need at least 5,000.”

Rajiv said the government should also encourage more motorists to park and ride, deploy more feeder buses to commuter stations, and have more pedestrian walkways.
“More buses won’t create more congestion. If just 10 people leave their cars at home, there will 10 cars fewer on the road and just one additional bus.”

Rajiv said the budget had also overlooked the need for more bus drivers.
“Many work overtime and that’s what causes crashes. Singapore has gotten all our best drivers.”

03-8024 7700 - MPSJ Call Center

The Subang Jaya Municipal Council will be operating its new call centre from now onwards via 03-8024 7700. The centre serves to receive and manage complaints, and handle enquiries on MPSJ's services. It will serve as a facility to check service application status at a later stage. The call centre will replace the MPSJ's existing hotline.

Tackling Parking and Traffic Problems (Column for SJ Echo Oct 2012)

Tackling Parking and Traffic Problems

by Rajiv Rishyakaran

First of all, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all Subang Jaya residents a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, and to our Muslim brothers and sisters, Selamat Hari Raya Haji. This year we have seen among the many neighbourhood celebrations, one jointly organized by the Bomba, Police, Subang Jaya Community Fire Brigade, Summit USJ & MPSJ.
This is certainly something new, and with a good turnout and community support, we hope to see it return next year.  Another thing we can all be proud of, that in all these Tanglung celebrations, we see a gathering of all races, coming together to celebrate and fellowship with one another. 

Grand Dorsett Development
As an update to development & sales of the Grand Dorsett Waterfront Hotel Suites (or service apartments), MPSJ has filed a case in court, seeking a declaration that the development was approved solely for the expansion of hotel facilities, and not to be sold as residential units. This move was made after consulting 2 legal firms, to ensure that MPSJ positions the case right, to uphold the spirit of the approval that was initially granted in October 2010.

A Challenging Parking Problem
Parking problems within the commercial areas are somewhat straightforward to resolve. In most cases, continuous enforcement is all that is needed. But what is truly challenging, is the spillover of commercial parking into adjacent housing areas.

A number of our commercial areas are adjacent to housing areas, especially in SS15. Often, this would tempt visitors to the commercial centers to park in front of houses, causing inconvenience to the residents. Not only do they make it difficult for the residents to park their own car (as we know most houses can’t fit all their cars within the gate), sometimes these visitors park irresponsibly, blocking gates, or narrowing the road, making it difficult for others to pass through.

One solution for this problem is for each resident to apply for the MPSJ sticker. This MPSJ sticker that cost RM3, is used to identify local residents, and makes it possible for MPSJ to take enforcement action on those causing inconvenience.  The challenge with this, however, is getting the cooperation of all local residents to apply for the sticker. One area that I’m working with closely on this is the SS15 Hexagon area (SS15/6), which is nearest to Taylors University.

Tackling Sri KL Traffic Congestion
I have recently met with Sri KL’s CEO, En Hanif Othman Merican with some of my JKP members to look into resolving the traffic problem we have on Persiaran Kewajipan every afternoon (on school days). Some misunderstandings between them and MPSJ in the past have been clarified, and I’m glad we were able to brainstorm a few alternatives, that would enable parents to pick up their children, as well as not congest Persiaran Kewajipan.

These ideas require a little bit of further study, and we will be meeting Sri KL again in a few weeks time to see what might be feasible in moving forward.  I look forward to sharing more on this soon.
Copyright © 2010 Rajiv for Malaysia All rights reserved.