Ipoh moves to ease city centre traffic jams

IPOH: Plans are in the pipeline to reduce traffic congestion in the city centre, says a Perak exco member.

Housing and local government committee chairman Sandrea Ng Shy Ching said an increase in tourists and visitors had brought more vehicles to the city centre, especially during weekends and holidays.

She said most tourist spots were choked with vehicles, and that it was time to review the traffic system.

“We have engaged consultants to do the research… and (come up with a) solution to the problem.

“We hope to (resolve) the traffic issue as we do not want Ipoh, especially the city centre, to be known as a congested place as this could deter people from visiting,” she said on Monday (March 11).

Speaking to reporters after launching the Ipoh Landscape Master Plan 2023-2035; the Infrastructure and Traffic Management Planning Master Plan 2023-2033; the IpohGo application; Ipoh City Council’s corporate video; and the Ipoh Tourism video here, Ng said the traffic light system was frequently blamed for the congestion.

She said one good example to follow was Tambun, where the traffic lights were removed and replaced with U-turns.

“Despite motorists having to drive a little further to turn, the traffic is constantly moving, and not static.

“So with Tambun being a success story, we will see if that same system can be applied to the city centre here to solve the problem,” she added.

Ng said the authorities were also making efforts to create more pedestrian walkways as part of its low carbon city and walkable city plans.

“By having good designs, we hope to encourage more people to walk, and also… encourage people to use public transport to reduce traffic,” she added.

On the Ipoh Landscape Plan 2023-2035, Ng said the city council was the first local authority in the state to launch such a plan.

She said this plan was greatly needed for the long term to ensure that landscape planning is a factor in development.