Severe Congestion and High Accident Risk must be resolved

22 August 2025

KOTA KINABALU: The Darau Division Chief of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), Datuk Mohammed Razali Razi, has called on the contractor responsible for the construction of the Tebobon flyover in Sepanggar to urgently revise its traffic management plan, following ongoing complaints from local residents and road users in the area.

He stated that poor traffic management throughout the project's construction has led to severe congestion and heightened the risk of accidents, including in areas where fatal incidents have previously been recorded.

“The road isn’t just congested during peak hours, but almost the entire day. U-turns are placed too far away and are poorly designed, and the signage is unclear and confusing.

“This area includes four schools, several villages, and high-density residential neighbourhoods. The constant congestion not only delays daily activities but also puts road users at serious risk,” he said in a statement today.

Razali further explained that the root of the problem isn’t just the flyover construction itself, but also delays in road resurfacing works in the Bandar Sierra area, which have narrowed the road lanes significantly.

He stressed that the contractor should have developed a contingency plan before starting the project and ensured it was properly monitored throughout — instead of leaving the public to suffer the consequences every day.

He reminded that contractors receiving lucrative payments must not be complacent when managing critical infrastructure projects that directly affect the people.

“In Kuala Lumpur, even with large-scale mega projects, proper traffic management systems are implemented. Why can’t we do the same here in Kota Kinabalu? This isn’t just a technical issue , it’s about public safety and wellbeing,” he asserted.

As such, Razali urged the contractor and concessionaire to immediately review the traffic management plan, install clearer temporary signage, provide more efficient alternative routes, and implement scheduled monitoring to resolve the current shortcomings without delay.

He added that while the government has made efforts to upgrade the road infrastructure in the state, the public should not have to bear the brunt of poor contractor management.

“Infrastructure should make people’s lives easier, not harder. The time wasted, fuel consumed, and emotional stress faced by road users amount to a form of social injustice that cannot be ignored,” he said.