KUALA LUMPUR: Motorists plying Jalan Maarof in Bangsar are calling on authorities to address severe daily traffic gridlocks affecting commutes into the commercial hub.
Drivers said the stretch turns into a persistent bottleneck during peak hours, driven by heavy traffic merging from multiple directions into narrow two-lane roads.
Personal driver Muhammad Naim, 35, said the area experiences congestion during morning, noon, and evening rush hours.
"Traffic comes in from three different directions, including Pantai and Brickfields, alongside cars making U-turns. Everything squeezes into just two narrow lanes, so a bottleneck is bound to happen," he told the New Straits Times.
Naim added that indiscriminate roadside parking exacerbates the congestion.
"The road is just too narrow for so many cars. It only has two lanes handling heavy traffic, and when cars are parked along the roadside, it makes it even harder to move through.
"This has been going on for years. It's a main road leading to Bangsar Shopping Centre and Damansara, making it one of the worst traffic spots around here," he said, proposing that traffic wardens be stationed to direct merging traffic.
Grab driver Zarif Fadli, 25, said peak-hour congestion extends from Jalan Bangsar all the way up to Jalan Maarof.
"Whether it is the morning rush, the evening commute, or the stretch heading towards Mid Valley, drivers are constantly stuck in traffic.
"The jam from Jalan Bangsar is bad in the morning and evening, especially during peak hours. Double parking along the road makes it much worse. We need better public transport services so people don't have to drive into Bangsar every day," he said.
Food delivery rider Pankaj Kumar, 56, a 25-year resident, said gridlock across Bangsar and neighbouring Brickfields has turned daily travel into a hassle.
"Driving around Bangsar and Brickfields is absolute torture. The gridlock is unavoidable during morning and evening rush hours, but it now happens even on weekends and rainy days.
"The issue is indiscriminate parking and rampant double parking. People park illegally and claim it is 'just for five minutes', but then leave their cars for half an hour or two hours," he said, urging Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to step up patrols and enforcement.
Bukit Bandaraya Residents Association adviser Datuk M. Ali said traffic enforcement in the city has largely collapsed, leading to widespread double parking and severe bottlenecks.
"Strict, consistent, and persistent enforcement without compromise is urgently needed to tackle the worsening traffic congestion. People must be made to be disciplined and accountable. If they are not adhering to persuasion, then go in and use a hard stick instead of a carrot," he said.
Ali noted that while authorities occasionally issue summonses following public complaints, DBKL should leverage surveillance cameras across the capital to monitor traffic and conduct random towing of illegally parked vehicles.
The New Straits Times has reached out to DBKL for comment.
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