CITY Hall is keeping tabs on the streetlights along a Likas housing road, as well as those near some commercial centres in Sembulan, Kolombong and Inanam, to minimise the traffic hazards posed to drivers travelling to and from the residences and shops in these areas.
This action was prompted by feedback that the public spaces had been insufficiently illuminated after dark, “for months”.
A Likas driver highlighted this problem to City Hall at the beginning of May, while another from Sembulan did the same a week later. The Inanam motorist, on the other hand, related her concerns to the authority towards the end of June.
They felt that these different stretches were potentially dangerous to motorists with poor night-vision, especially the elderly.
These vehicle-owners provided Hotline with the location of the affected roads, which were forwarded to the agency.
A spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department said inspections were made of Lorong Bambasang in Likas, Jalan Mentari in Sembulan and the section of Jalan Tuaran between Mile 5 and Mile 7.
He said technical issues were behind the breakdown of the lights on these roads.
“The system servicing the lights on the Likas road was found to have tripped,” he said.
“Workers with our electrical contractor immediately set reset the system. They also double-checked on the mechanisms inside the control panel for the lights and found that they were in good order.”
He said Lorong Bambasang extended for 274 metres between the junctions to Jalan Haiwan and Lorong Taib.
In the case of Jalan Mentari, he said the “technical issues” involved the burnt out cables in several of the lights.
“The contractor suspects that, for whatever reason, the system could have shorted out.
A City Hall technician checks on the mechanisms inside the control panel for the streetlights near the Industrial Centre.
“His workers had to replace the damaged cables inside the housing of each of the inoperative lights.”
Jalan Mentari spans some 846 metres from the junction to Jalan Coastal to the roundabout near Jalan Kemajuan.
Three major commercial centres and a private medical institution are located off this road, namely Imago Shopping Mall, KK Times Square, Riverson: The Walk and Gleneagles Hospital.
“The contractor did a day-time test, at the time, to ensure that the lights were coming on as they should,” the spokesman said.
“His workers also went back after dark to determine if the Jalan Mentari was adequately lit.”
He said a similar check was made of the lights on the divider in the middle of Jalan Tuaran between the Mile 5 Flyover and Hiong Tiong Industrial Centre at Mile 7.
“Were made to understand that the main road was pitch black in places.
A sky-lift was deployed to facilitate efforts to replace the charred contactors for the lights near the Inanam Business Centre.
“These included the section between the Flyover and the Toyota Service Centre, the section near the Inanam Business Centre and the section between Inanam Taipan and the Industrial Centre.”
The spokesman said damaged “contactors” accounted for the lighting woes at these locations.
A “contactor” was a type of switch for repeatedly opening and closing an electric circuit, he explained.
A worker with City Hall’s electrical contractor tests the components inside this control panel near the Mile 5 Flyover.
“Charred contactors were found on the median not far from the Business Centre.
“Those servicing the lights between Taipan and Hiong Tiong were in the same condition.”
Both properties are separated by a distance of some 1.36 kilometres.
Aside from the faulty contactors, the spokesman said the outage near the Flyover was also caused by “a cable short”.
He said a sky-lift was deployed to facilitate the repairs on Jalan Tuaran.
The damaged cables inside the housing for some of the lights on Jalan Mentari had to be replaced.
“In some cases, the technicians also tested the components inside the control panel for these amenities to ensure that they were functioning as they should.”
When asked about the months-long delay to restore the lights in Likas, Sembulan, Kolombong and Inanam, he declined to comment.
“We do not have a fixed maintenance schedule when it comes to the public lighting within our rating area.
“This work is performed as and when it becomes necessary to do so.”
