KUALA LUMPUR, October 13 — The University of Malaya’s (UM) recent decision to alter traffic circulation within the campus during the semester break has caused significant chaos and disruption, leaving students and the public in a state of inconvenience. These changes were initiated without any prior consultation or notification to the student body. The primary modification involved blocking a section of road in front of the library, known as Zus Coffee, with the intention of transforming it into a “student plaza.”
Simultaneously, the road in front of UM Central, the campus bus interchange, was converted into a one-way street. These changes, seemingly intended to enhance the campus environment, have resulted in unexpected traffic congestion and complications. This alteration has led to an unprecedented traffic jam as the new semester commenced at UM. With the revised traffic routes, several bus routes are now required to stop alongside a narrow pedestrian walkway in front of the Faculty of Arts and Social Science.
This situation has left students who previously could wait comfortably at the UM Central bus shelter now having to cross bustling streets, potentially endangering themselves. Furthermore, they are compelled to stand shoulder to shoulder on the sidewalk while waiting for their buses. The UM Central bus shelter, which was constructed with a significant budget allocation, has been rendered practically ineffective, failing to serve its primary purpose of providing shelter for students who rely on buses for transportation.
According to observations made by New Generation of Universiti Malaya (NewGen) on the evening of October 10th, numerous students, fresh from their classes, were left waiting in the pouring rain amid severe traffic congestion. They had to anxiously and impatiently wait for buses that were already running behind schedule. NewGen seeks to question the UM administration if such scenes align with their vision for the university. The new traffic diversion policy has also considerably inconvenienced students living off-campus without personal transportation.
Furthermore, UM’s recent reduction of bus services for the new semester has added to students’ commuting woes. Concurrently, members of the public who rely on UM for daily commuting have had no choice but to endure the exacerbated traffic congestion. It is evident that the diversion policy, devised unilaterally by the university’s management without engaging any stakeholders, is a clear and utter failure, receiving backlash from students and the public alike.
“It is clear that the university authorities have created uncertainty and chaos through their arbitrary decisions!” The traffic diversion issue is a stark example of the many superficial projects initiated by UM’s administration to mask their lack of substantial action. The student walkway project has turned into the most glaring white elephant project within the UM campus, serving no real benefit to pedestrian users but worsening the already congested traffic situation on campus.
In light of the glaring failure of the traffic diversion policy, NewGen emphatically calls upon the university administration to act responsibly, promptly revoke the traffic diversion policy, and implement comprehensive solutions to establish a campus that is truly pedestrian-friendly for everyone.
