Kelana Jaya Park Pedestrian Entrance Blocked By… A Metal Fence?

Taman Tasik Kelana Jaya is a popular spot for locals to enjoy nature in the midst of urban sprawl.

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In a time when the public is accused of not taking public transportation and causing congestion on the roads, it can seem like the Klang Valley’s modern urban planning is simply designed against the rakyat.

Twitter user @fazleyff shared his experience of trying to get to the Tasik Kelana Jaya public park on foot.

He had stopped at the bus stop across the street from the park. However, after crossing the pedestrian bridge, he found that the entrance leading into the park was blocked by a metal fence.

Walking to Tasik Kelana Jaya from the bus stop, across the Federal Highway pedestrian bridge, and guess what.. the stairs leading to the park was BLOCKED by a gate.

Smart Selangor infrastructure pic.twitter.com/WQ7rP63b8Q
— surreal putrajayan cari kerja (@fazleyff) May 31, 2022

Later on, Fazley had to walk further down the road and squeeze his way into the park via another unconventional entrance, which was also blocked by a metal fence.

He managed to squeeze his way in via a small gap between the fence and the walkway, which he chalks up to poor workmanship: shouldn’t fences not have gaps if the entire point is to keep people out?

(Un)Luckily here was this longkang to the left of the stairs, which wasn’t covered well by the gate, went through this gap to “infiltrate” the park. Plus it smelled pretty bad.

I don’t know if they’re even trying; can we look up who’s supplying & installing these gates? pic.twitter.com/hGG3QSUzPf
— surreal putrajayan cari kerja (@fazleyff) May 31, 2022

Although the entrances Fazley arrived at are the closest entrances into the park via the pedestrian bridge, it isn’t the main entrance.

There are a couple of ways into the park, but there isn’t proper signage or directions for those unfamiliar with the area.

There is a well-known Taman Bandaran entrance via LDP highway, but this entrance is quite a distance for pedestrians.

The Taman Bandaran entrance, accessible from LDP highway.
(Credit: Google Maps)

There is also another much closer entrance to the pedestrian bridge, which includes a much shorter walk and relatively more direct access to the park. However, pedestrians are still unable to directly access the park from the pedestrian bridge and will need to walk along LDP until they reach this entrance and cut through the car park before reaching the park.

The other entrance into Tasik Kelana Jaya which is close to the pedestrian bridge and the bus stop.
(Credit: Google Maps)

Some local netizens noted in response to Fazley’s Tweet that the fences were installed a few years ago after a spate of snatch thefts. Those fences were further locked up during the MCO period to maintain a single entrance and exit.

While it is seemingly just a short walk, it’s additional inconvenience for pedestrians and only serves to highlight how urban city planning often overlooks the ease of access for pedestrians.

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Anne Dorall

Anne is an advocate of sustainable living and the circular economy, and has managed to mum-nag the team into using reusable containers to tapau food. She is also a proud parent of 4 cats and 1 rabbit.