Sashidaran Gunathevan
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is looking to expand the KL Car Free Morning program following the successful implementation of the initiative at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR).
On August 28, DBKL announced that a stretch of Jalan TAR would become car-free every Sunday.
Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah said all parties, including traders and the public, responded well to the Sunday closure of Jalan TAR.
Following the success, Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said one possible location for the expansion is the area around The Federal Hotel in Bukit Bintang, a popular pedestrian spot.
“However, we are still engaging with stakeholders and the public. DBKL will announce if the engagement is successful,” he said after launching the ninth CityNet Congress.
On August 12, Jalaluddin said the idea of a car-free day is to encourage the culture of walking among city folk.
“The exact stretch on Jalan TAR is from the Jalan Esfahan junction (Sogo) to Jalan Tun Perak (near Dataran Merdeka), and the closure to vehicles will be from 6 am to midnight.
The deputy minister said various activities would take place in the pedestrian zone, including buskers, creative art performances and traditional sports programmes.
People around the area mostly welcomed the plan. However, they believe that the plan needs fine-tuning to ensure minimal disruption to the businesses and customers around the area.
KL Car-Free Morning is a green initiative to promote a healthy lifestyle among locals and tourists in Kuala Lumpur through recreational sports, arts and cultural activities.
This initiative showcases Malaysia’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions.
It is also part of a global drive to protect the environment and support the ideals of the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals of 2015.
KL Car-Free Morning strives to encourage healthy living, sustain eco-friendliness, and strengthen national unity and family bonding.
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