The Kuala Lumpur City Grand Prix, due to be held from August 7 to 9, is raising eyebrows due to its apparent lack of safety measures.
The street race, which will place KL in the same company as other famous venues like Monaco and neighbouring Singapore, seems to not be taking serious enough measures to ensure the safety of spectators and racers, leading even the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) to question its level of readiness.
Haresh Deol of the print edition of the Malay Mail reports today that five major roads – Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan P. Ramlee, and Jalan Ampang – have seen concrete barricades set up separating the blacktop and the sidewalks. The safety measures are seen as not only a temporary eyesore, but more importantly, potentially inadequate.
Access to several public locations, such as th As-Syakirin Mosque near KLCC and St John’s Cathedral near Jalan Ampang, have been hampered by the concrete barricades. Public facilities such as a taxi stand and a bus stop have even been removed completely to make way for the race.
Organised by GT Global Race (M) Sdn Bhd, the KL City Grand Prix also seems to be suffering from an acute lack of promotion, raising questions over whether the event will indeed even be a commercial success and a boon to Malaysia’s tourism industry.
