Roadblocks - preventing crimes or causing traffic jam?
Today's massive traffic jam / flood was pretty bad and pissed off many of my colleagues. It reminded me how annoyed I was with traffic jam resulted from roadblocks.
"Roadblocks part of regular crime prevention" - title of the article below.
PETALING JAYA: Police say the roadblocks around Kuala Lumpur and here on Saturday were part of the normal crime prevention measures.
Several readers had called The Star office in Petaling Jaya on Saturday expressing concern that several roadblocks had been set up around Kuala Lumpur and here, causing traffic jams. Some even questioned whether the roadblocks were in any way related to Sunday's rally organised by the Coalition Against Inflation (Protes) at Stadium Kelana Jaya here.
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I fully agree with the idea of having sensible roadblocks. Like the ones for speeding (which I got caught), the ones for drunk-driving (I assume so if it's done past midnight), or the ones for some unknown reasons - most likely to catch criminals or something.
But I think it's a little too many roadblocks in Malaysia. I doubt the effectiveness to prevent crime (how would it prevent crime from happening?), but for sure they cause traffic jam. Even the Deputy Tourism Minister complained about having it (done just outside KLIA).
On this particular roadblock in KLIA, I experienced it once or twice. Why did it have to be just outside the airport? What were they looking for?
Perhaps positively responding to the Minister appeal, the roadblock was once done on the highway between the airport and KL, causing at least 30-minute jam on the highway. Yeah, I was there as well... *sigh*
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