DRIVING within the SS15 Subang Jaya commercial centre is a skill in itself.

You would need good reflexes to manoeuvre your vehicle to avoid double-parked cars.

Then there’s the traffic congestion where you could find yourself stuck along just one road for more than 20 minutes, day or night, on a weekday or weekend.

If by some miracle you manage to find a parking space, you may find your vehicle blocked by another, adding to your stress level.

This is a reality for most drivers, especially along Jalan SS15/4 and SS15/4b.

Business owners and those working in offices fronting the two roads are fed up of having to deal with daily traffic congestion.

Some say it is partly caused by the increasing popularity of bubble tea outlets but there is no doubt that inconsiderate motorists who refuse to follow traffic rules are also to blame.

Businesses affected

The business community is appealing to the authorities to do something.

SS15 Ad Hoc Business Committee representative Datuk Samson Maman said the entry point from the Jalan SS15/4 circle to exit from Jalan SS15/4b which used to take five minutes now takes 25 minutes and at certain times, 45 minutes.

The congestion can even last up till 1am.

Stakeholders say congestion in the SS15 commercial area becomes even worse at night.

Samson said bubble tea outlets had mushroomed from just one unit in SS15/4 to eight within a few months. This had increased traffic, especially at night, and brought a different type of clientele to the area.

He said haphazard parking was rampant along the stretch, often leading to quarrels and fights.

“Everyone has the right to do business but traffic enforcement needs to be beefed up to ensure orderly entry from SS15/4 and exit from SS15/4b, as well as clear exits for other areas.”

Samson said the lack of enforcement by police and Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) had worsened the situation.

“There are hardly any traffic policemen here. If we can keep vehicles along the ring road of SS15/4 and SS15/4b moving then traffic along the route would also be smooth.”

He claimed MPSJ tow trucks hardly clamped vehicles and the process often took too long.

“They need to ensure the road is clear and traffic is moving. Because there is no strict enforcement, motorists park haphazardly,” he said.

Aside from traffic, Samson also highlighted the dilapidated condition of walkways in the commercial area and called on MPSJ’s engineering team to rectify the problem.

Restaurant owner Terry Jee said his business, especially at night and over the weekend, was affected by the congestion along Jalan SS15/4.

“People simply park wherever they want and that makes it tough for others to drive through.

“After 7pm, it becomes a free for all where you will see people leaving their cars anywhere and everywhere,” he said.

Jee added that there was no enforcement at all at night and officers were seldom seen during the day.

The multistorey parking complex in the SS15 commercial centre has four parking levels. On weekdays, the complex is usually full, even up to the rooftop but it is underutilised at night when parking is free along the streets.

He said customers complained about the lack of parking space even though there is a multi-storey carpark along SS15/4.During StarMetro’s visit to the SS15 commercial centre’s multistorey carpark on a weekday during lunch hour, there were very few parking spaces available indoors and only a couple more on the rooftop.

Better traffic management

Lawyer Michelle M, who works along Jalan SS15/4, said it could take her 40 minutes just to drive out to the main road.

Michelle said even if she were to park elsewhere, she would still have to pass SS15/4 and could be stuck in traffic for an hour.

“In the afternoon, traffic moves a little but from 5pm until late at night, you can be stuck here for longer.”

Michelle said sometimes she would leave her office after 9pm, thinking that traffic would have subsided but to her dismay, it was even worse.She added that Jalan SS15/4b also had a lot of potholes. Although the council would patch up the holes, not long after, the condition of the road would become bad again.

Lee Hong San, who runs a business along Jalan SS15/4b, said there was an ingress and egress problem. “The council needs to study the entry and exit points. They should look into the traffic flow and adjust the timing of the traffic lights on the main road where necessary,” he said.

Lee added that there was a lack of parking spaces in the commercial centre.

“I think they should look into having a time limit for parking of about two hours,” he said.

Lee Weng Onn, an engineer, said a better traffic dispersal system was needed.

“The situation was an inconvenience in the past but has now turned into a nuisance. MPSJ should do something,” he said.

Lee proposed that the municipal council close one entry into the commercial centre and change the direction of traffic along Jalan SS15/4d to help ease vehicle movement within the business hub and for those traveling from there to Persiaran Jengka.

He said at present, it takes only one car trying to move out from Jalan SS15/4d to the right-most lane of Persiaran Jengka to affect traffic flow at the junction.

“This affects those turning left and cars cannot move down SS15/4b. There are times you get stuck for 15 to 30 minutes,” he said.

Lee suggested that the entrance to the commercial area from Persiaran Jengka facing Jalan SS15/4 be closed, and motorists along Jalan SS15/4d make their exit just before SS15 Courtyard.

He said the current traffic direction along Jalan SS15/4d should be one-way but in the reverse direction.

“MPSJ needs to to look at the traffic management system before new developments in the SS15 commercial area are completed.”