Lanang Road

By Othman Ishak
SIBU: The people of Sibu, especially motorists who ply daily along Jalan Lanang, hoped that the authorities concerned here would upgrade the affected stretches of Jalan Lanang dual carriage way (from Jalan Lanang heading towards the town section), because flooding again caused great inconvenience to the motorists yesterday.A housewife residing along Jalan Lanang who only wished to be known as Madam Wong, 45, used to send her daughter on a motorcycle for a tuition class in town said, “We (the rakyat) do understand that any upgrading of road projects would be carried out phase by phase. However, as one of the many motorists who ply along Jalan Lanang dual carriage way everyday, I earnestly hope that the authorities concerned here will place priority in upgrading certain stretches of Jalan Lanang dual carriage way, particularly that from Jalan Lanang heading towards town section, which normally is seriously affected whenever there is flooding.”“As I only have a motorcycle as a means of transportation to send my daughter to tuition class, I am very concerned about our safety when riding across flood water.” she added. Another motorist working with a local firm in Lanang, Fatimah Amin, 27, had the same view. “We (the rakyat) believe that the authorities concerned here must urgently upgrade the affected stretches of Jalan Lanang dual carriage way due to flooding,” she said.“We really hope that the authorities concerned here will do something as soon as possible for the safety and convenience of all road users especially at night time,” she added.“We also experienced that during flooding, the street lights along Jalan Lanang will be switched off for safety reasons. Hence, due to darkness, the situation becomes even more risky to motorists, especially those using motor bikes.” A labourer residing at Jalan Lanang, Gregory ak Jus, 35 years old, also appealed to the authorities concerned to take corrective measures immediately to solve the problem at Jalan Lanang dual carriageway. He said he found it “very hard to ride or drive our vehicles through the flooded roads”. Furthermore, for those staying along the flooded dual carriage way at Jalan Lanang, they had to park their vehicles temporarily on higher ground somewhere near Jalan Aman roundabout and thus causing unnecessary obstructions to other road users as well.