LAST week, I came across an article about driving in India, especially Mumbai, and the writer had described it as a matter of being lucky. However, I feel that he has most probably not been to Kuala Lumpur and I am sure he is not aware that driving around our federal capital is like an adventure.
Our dreaded traffic congestion is a persistent annoyance and is so stressful that only the most patient of drivers survive the ordeal without having to blow their tops with a few foul words thrown in for good measure.
Simply put, driving in Kuala Lumpur is not for the faint-hearted!
Any good driver will agree that driving in the city is very much like a 4x4 expedition, minus the off-road conditions, at least most of the time.
Sometimes, the road conditions, as a result of poor maintenance, get on our nerves, forcing us to be very alert, swift and composed to avoid getting our wheels stuck in the potholes.
We also have to be extra cautious to steer clear of the other vehicles on the road, especially the motorcycles whose riders seem to have a habit of zig-zagging through traffic.
If that wasn't bad enough, we also have to deal with the scores of reckless drivers, road hogs and, of course, indecisive, inconsiderate and rude Malaysians behind the wheel.
One of the worst menaces on the road right now is the Mat Rempit. Dispatch riders by day and hell raisers by night, their attitudes toward riding are the same no matter what time it is. Other drivers end up having to put up with their whims and fancies on the roads every day.
However, the major irritant is still the condition of Kuala Lumpur's roads. Kuala Lumpur has been aptly described as having a First World planning and system but with a Third World attitude to maintenance.
Improper planning prior to road construction, a lack of supervision over road work contractors and poor enforcement by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall contribute to the situation which deteriorates by the day.
Keeping road conditions to at least a decent standard should be a priority of the City Hall rather than spending lots of time and money on other matters concerning the roads and streets such as rebranding them unnecessarily.
Most of our roads are named after our forefathers - Jalan Dato? Onn, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Jalan Sambanthan, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (formerly Batu Road and renamed in honour of our first Yang di-Pertuan Agong), Jalan Putra (named after Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra the first prime minister), Jalan Tun Razak, which was Circular Road, and Jalan Tun H.S. Lee for High Street, a must-know place for budding crime reporters back then.
But then again, if street names honour our past leaders, where is Jalan Tun Hussein Onn, after our third prime minister?
Or, for that matter, Jalan Tun Dr Ismail, in honour of the second deputy prime minister?
Zukri Valenteno used to stay at Jalan Parry which was renamed Jalan Pinang and later Jalan P. Ramlee. He used to take bus rides regularly from the Klang Bus Station near Cecil Road, now Jalan Kasturi, to his first real office at Jalan Syed Putra, which was known as Jalan Lornie.
