Traffic Jam on the North South Hway
I had booked the hotel in Lumut and packed on the morning of the first day of the Chinese New Year. I left Klang at 10.00 am. The roads were devoid of traffic and I was expecting a smooth drive to Lumut , 280 km away By 2.00 pm, I would have arrived at the hotel. For the next 4 days I would spend going to beaches , running and relaxing. I wanted to visit my friend who had returned to Ipoh on Saturday. As I turned left at the NKVE highway towards Ipoh, I drove smack into a massive traffic jam.
For the next half hour, I moved at a speed of 10-30 km/hr, stopping frequently. Behind me, there was an unending stream of vehicles as far as the eye could see. Was there a traffic accident ? At the Rawang rest stop, I found the reason. A lone policeman had set up a shelter equipped with a laser speed detector. The drivers saw this and slown down to adhere to the 110 km/hr speed limit.
Why on earth would he set up the speed trap there? The shelter in white/blue stripes was visible from 500 m away as it was at the highest point of the road. Far from getting results, he caused the massive trafffic jam. ??F**%% !
As I passed by the bottleneck, the traffic flow improved but not for long. I encountered a series of traffic jams along the road construction areas. By now, it was becoming obvious a 4 hour journey could become 6 to 8 hrs. I pondered my options : to continue or abort?
I decided to continue and observe the traffic flow. The traffic flow did not improve. There were intermittent stops and speed was limited to 80 km/hr. I decided to abort the trip and return to Klang. It was not worth the trouble to battle through the traffic jam. I was dissapointed I could not visit my friend near Ipoh as I had done for the past 2 years.
I moved to the left most lane and started to scan for an exit from the highway. Soon a signboard showing "Lembah Beringin" appeared. This was my exit and I took it!
As I drove past then Lembah Beringin road toll plaza, I decided to drive to the Lembah Beringin housing estate. This place had been heavily promoted in the late 1990's. TV ads showed contented families strolling in an housing area among the forest. One image stuck in my mind, a little girl was playing on a swing, laughing joyfully among trees and buterflies.
Today, I saw the reality. The estate was filled with vacant houses. A fully completed school painted in yellow/white stood by the main road, devoid of students. Half completed and decaying houses stood in grasses tall enough to hide tigers. The surrounding and landscape was gorgeous. The estate had many trees and plants, unlike the bare concrete of housing areas in Kuala Lumpur. The only problem? Location - it was 60 km from KL and too far from any town.
On the way back to the toll plaza, I noticed something. There is a jogging track !. It was nestled in a small valley. The small track is undulating with flat and hily sections. What a great place to run! I stopped the car and took some photos. Perhaps I will run there one day.
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