Bukit Puchong Attracts The Best In Education

Soon, Bukit Puchong will see one of Malaysia's foremost private education group, Taylor's Education Group, setting up a premier secondary school on eight acres within our thriving development. Scheduled for its first intake in January 2011, the private school, estimated to cost RM40 million when fully completed, will be built over two phases to cater to secondary students from Form One to Form Six. Taylor's has submitted the necessary applications to the authorities to set up the school, including that to the Ministry of Education.

With the new school being centrally located in the thriving suburb of Puchong, we are excited with the prospect of providing the highest standards of education to the community. And to further complement this advantage, the dedicated Bukit Puchong Interchange will be a major benefit as it will offer direct access to all roads in the vicinity, making it convenient for students, both from Bukit Puchong as well as surrounding communities.

Construction work for the first phase of the school is expected to begin after necessary approvals have been obtained. Upon completion, the school expects to have a capacity of 1,500 students, which will be a boon to the community in Puchong.

Taylor's decision to invest here is just another testimony the the attractiveness of Bukit Puchong as an ideal environment for good living. The new school will provide an excellent platform for students to progress into the well-established Taylor's University College, which offers a broad spectrum of internationally recognized courses ranging from pre-university to diploma to degree programmes.

"We are proud to have a premier brand with proven track record in education set up in Bukit Puchong. This augurs well for our township's environment, and our commitment to providing quality living from all aspects." says Lim Jee Kong, General Manager of Bukit Hitam Development Sdn Bhd.

Source: Bukit Hitam Development Community Newsletter

Link To Be Ready In September

The missing link between Puchong Hartamas and Bandar Puteri Puchong will be completed by September, says the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ).

The 300m link was supposed to have been completed in May, following the negotiations in April.

It was agreed that the developers from both residential areas and the MPSJ would build the road together.

The plan was for the developers to lengthen the roads that serve as entrances into their respective areas, and once the works were done, MPSJ would connect these two entrances to form a link.

At the moment, the developers have done their part and it is now left to the council to link up the entrances.

When visiting the construction site recently, Kinrara assemblyman Teresa Kok expressed her dissatisfaction towards the delay.

“The construction of the road linking two neighbouring residential areas is a simple project, and MPSJ has many qualified engineers, so why is there a delay?” she asked.

MPSJ councillor Gary Chong pointed out that due to the lack of supervision and examination from the council, one of the developers did not construct the road based on the proposed level.

“Now, the level of the two entrances are different and it makes the linking difficult,” he said.

When contacted, a spokesperson from MPSJ said the delay was due to a technical problem involving the gradient of the road.

“It’s all right now, we will continue with the construction. Also, we need to raise the manhole as there is a water pipe underneath the road.

“This is to facilitate any servicing works in the future for Syabas,” he said.

He promised the road would be completed by Sept 21.

Source: The Star, 28 August 2008

Brighten The Night With The Light From The Sun

We have all heard of environmental-friendly solar power but have no idea where to get it, or how to personally tap this unlimited source of clean energy.

Get one of these from Borid Energy and paying for electricty will be a thing of the past!

With the new Borid Solar Powered Light, you can now harness sunlight to illuminate gardens, compounds or walkways every single night : without digging the ground to lay cables or fork out money to pay for electricity!

These lights turn on at dusk and off themselves at dawn automatically, providing continuous power even during blackouts. All this is now possible, while playing our part in reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. These panels even come with a 20-year manufacturer's warranty!

For the month of September, purchase the entire set for a promotional price of only RM 3,000.

To know more, please call Freddie at 03-5569 4618 or write to fchungboridenergy.com

Source: The Star

Property Sector Still A Draw

The Malaysian real estate still offers an attractive investment opportunity for foreign players despite uncertainties in the global financial markets.

According to Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan, apart from the Middle East, the property sector was also attracting foreign investors from the Indian subcontinent and Asian countries such as South Korea, China and Japan.

“Malaysia is becoming more attractive to foreign investors,” he told reporters after officiating the 19th National Real Estate Convention (NREC) yesterday.

However, he did not discount the fact that the global rise in fuel prices had a domino effect on the local real estate industry, which could trigger a slowdown in the overall economy.

Existing projects should go on and new projects initiated to counter the rippling effect on the economy, he said.

While the rising construction and fluctuating fuel costs were an immediate challenge for the industry, Ong was optimistic that the budget would be “people-centric,” with more goodies to help alleviate the burden of these spiralling costs.

“We hope that the Government will give some incentives to the housing and building materials industry,” he said.
Ong also called for a review of the diesel prices

“An area that has been overlooked is the diesel-powered machinery being used in building sites,” he said, suggesting the Government review the road tax of diesel vehicles to be at par with petrol vehicles.

On the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association’s proposed change in housing policies with regard to the 30% bumiputra quota, Ong said there should be some flexibility. “Maybe in areas with not so many bumiputras residing, the quota could be adjusted.”

Source: The Star, 27 August 2008

Making Music In Puchong

Puchong will soon make a name for itself as perhaps the first and only township in the country to have its own orchestra.

This is not a pipe dream but something that is slowing taking shape as the Puchong-based Regent Com-munity Services is getting the music playing to form the Puchong Mini Orchestra and Choir.

According to Regent director Neil E. Rode, after some brainstorming, it was decided that having an orchestra was one of the most viable ways to bring the community together.

“We decided that forming an orchestra is a great way to touch the community through music. It’s high time we do something to bring the community together,” he said.

Some people may not consider the idea possible or practical, given the fact that Puchong does not seem to have the sort of cultural environment with high-tech modern concert halls that the big cities have.

But Rode is confident that, with initiative and hard work, accompanied by moral and financial support from the authorities and people, the project will be a resounding success.

“We know it is so much easier if we park ourselves in other areas like Petaling Jaya, where the financial status of the people is much higher,” he said.

“But our ultimate aim is to develop the lower-income group and we feel that we could be a guiding light in Puchong,” Rode said.

According to Rode, the non-profit, non-religious and non-racial project will be a channel for music makers to develop their talents and at the same time provide wholesome entertainment for the community.

“Some people may be interested in playing in an orchestra but they don’t have the professional level required to join the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO),” he said.

“So, we are creating an opportunity for these musicians to learn and develop their skills. They need not worry about the lack of qualification or experience as we will provide them the opportunity to be trained,” Rode said.

Anyone 12 years of age and above, and people from the nearby townships, are invited to join the orchestra and choir.
The main criterion required to join the orchestra and choir is the love for music. Of course, the ability to play musical instruments is essential.

“We don’t expect them to be great performers, but at least they must have a feel for it and have some knowledge for music in order for them to progress,” voice trainer Peter Wong said,

The Regent hopes to get the orchestra going by November and it will have regular practices and performances, especially during festive seasons.

“We want to allow it to evolve. It does not belong to us. We are only the initiators and we want the Puchong people to see and love the orchestra as their own,” Wong said.

Currently, several auditions had been conducted and a few music schools had also expressed interests in working with the Regent.

“One of the principals is keen to have his students perform in our orchestra,” Wong said.

The Regent also welcomes sponsors to provide financial and other resources, such as musical instruments, to help the orchestra develop.

“Music learning and training is expensive and we hope there will be some sponsorship from established corporate houses to provide training for the people from the lower- income groups,” Rode said.

Auditions will be conducted on two Sundays — Aug 24 and Aug 31 — at 2pm at the Regent Centre located at 67B, Jalan Kenari 20, Bandar Puchong Jaya, Puchong.

For more details or to make an appointment for auditions, call Francisco at 016-656 7413 (musicians) or Wong at 017-651 2499 (singers).

Source: The Star

Malaysia My 2nd Home

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Why Malaysia, My Second Home? Malaysia, My Second Home Programme is a unique programme specially created by the Government of Malaysia for people from all over the world who meet the criteria required to stay in Malaysia for an indefinite period of time based on a Multiple-Entry Visa with Social Visit Pass, which is renewable every 10 years.

What’s more, all participants under this programme will enjoy other special benefits such as…

You can import your car or purchase a new car tax-free and enjoy great savings!

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You can obtain up to 80% for housing loans as compared to the normal 60% for foreign applicants (subject to credibility and banks’ rules).

Your Pension fund remitted to Malaysia is exempted from tax if you have stayed more than 184 days in Malaysia (for certain countries).

You are allowed to buy two units of properties costing RM 150,000 (USD 39,473) each without getting approval from Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) regardless of race, religion, gender or age.

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Source: http://www.spsetia.com.my/

Hap Seng Expects Double Digit Growth

Hap Seng Land Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd, expects double-digit revenue growth in the financial year ending Jan 31, 2009.

"Our revenue comes from housing project developments in Sabah and the rental from Menara Hap Seng. The office tower of Menara Hap Seng has been fully occupied, while 80% of The Podium (retail complex) has been rented out.
"Tenants are coming in and The Podium will be fully taken up by year-end," its property division's chief executive Datuk Paul Ng told The Edge Financial Daily yesterday.

The leading property developer in Sabah has developed the state's biggest township, Bandar Sri Indah, on 1,368 acres of the company's former oil palm estates.

The division contributed 8.5% or RM191 million to the group's revenue of RM2.24 billion in the last financial year ended Jan 31, 2008. It is a 15.5% increase from the RM165.3 million a year earlier.

Meanwhile, in the financial year ended Jan 31, 2008, its operating profit increased 4% to RM39.6 million from RM38 million. It accounted for 10% of the group's operating profit of RM395.7 million.

"Our revenue and profits have been improving. Given the track record, we are positive that the company would be able to contribute more to the group's revenue in the coming year," Ng said.

Hap Seng Land has submitted two applications to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for commercial developments on its land in Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Klang Lama.

"We will build offices on the 1.27 acres in Jalan Tun Razak. The application was submitted in the middle of this year. We can build an office block of a maximum 20 storeys," Ng said.

As for the two adjoining parcels of land of 2.6 acres and 1.8 acres in Jalan Klang Lama, the company will build an office block with a retail complex. The application was submitted early this year. "We hope to get the approval from DBKL by year-end," Ng said.

He also said the company expects to launch a residential development in Puchong by the second half of next year.

"We will develop the project on the build-then-sell concept and launch it (the sales) after we get the CF (certificate of fitness)," he added.

The project, involving 78 acres of housing land and 12 acres of commercial land, is divided into five phases. Phase 1 consists of 450 units of two-storey link houses and two-storey semi-detached cluster houses.

Ng said the project, with gross development value (GDV) of at least RM500 million, will also comprise bungalows, condominiums, middle-cost apartments and commercial buildings.

Asked if Hap Seng Land would pass on the higher building material cost to buyers, Ng said the company would minimise wastage to offset the higher prices as well as to purchase the raw materials in bulk.

"Even though we increase the house prices, we would install extra facilities such as an alarm system for the buyers," he said, adding that construction cost had increased by 18%-20%.

He noted that raw materials and labour constituted 75% to 80% of overall building cost.

Ng said: "We are still eyeing land and existing buildings (in the Klang Valley), but nothing is concrete yet. Our priority is in the Golden Triangle." He added that Hap Seng Land has a landbank of 3,000 acres.

On Budget 2009, he hopes the government will table a "people-friendly" budget that includes a waiver of stamp duty on house purchase for the lower-income group and first-time buyers.

Source: The Edge Daily

Gobind: Reduce The Puchong Toll Rate

As the profit margins from toll collected by the three highway operators in Puchong are running into billions, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo wants the government to reduce the toll rates to ease the problems faced by residents.

Puchong residents are trapped within the confines of the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP), Kesas and the New Pantai Expressway and have to fork out RM1.60 to exit at any of the tolls.

During a press conference recently, Gobind pointed out that the profits were RM11.31bil for the LDP, RM5.61bil for Kesas and RM3.85bil for the NPE.

“In total, the profits were RM20.77bil. The government must explain these figures and why such huge profits have been agreed at the expense of the rakyat. Any profit should be passed down to the people in the form of reduced tolls,’’ Gobind said.

Gobind said he had written two letters to the Works Ministry asking for copies of the concession agreements but had yet to receive a reply.

He added that during the Parliament session on July 10, the Works Minister, in a written answer, had said that the agreements were classified as official secrets under the Official Secrets Acts 1972 and therefore could not be made public.

“However, a week earlier the deputy minister told parliament that the ministry had made a decision that the agreements could be made public. There is a very serious contradiction here,’’ he said.

Gobind said he was also concerned because the deputy minister had also informed parliament on the cost of building the three highways, a figure that was considerably lower than the figures given by the Works Minister in his written answer.

“The minister should encourage transparency and forward me copies of the toll concession agreements. The rakyat demands to know why they are paying high toll rates when the highway concessionaries are reaping billions in profits,’’ Gobind said.

It is also learnt that the three highway concessionaries have projected a higher profit margin from 2008-2030 based on the new toll rates on the highways soon.

“Instead of looking at ways to reduce the burden of the residents, the government is only causing more hardship. We ask for the agreements to see if there are ways the toll collection could be reduced. This is a genuine call by the residents to help resolve a big problem,’’ Gobind said.

In order to clear the doubts raised by the conflicting information, Gobind said he was prepared to take the matter to court.

“However, we hope it would not come to that stage as the relevant parties could come together for the benefit of the residents,’’ he said.

Hardware dealer Ben Toh from Bandar Puteri said due to his nature of business, he sometimes makes more than 10 trips daily out of Puchong.

“My toll expenses alone are more than RM600. Since most of us are middle-class earners, the government should implement a one-way toll collection or alternatively make toll payments more affordable,’’ said Toh.

Pensioner Chee Kee Sang echoed Toh’s sentiments, urging the government to react positively to their request.

Source: The Star, 22 August 2008

Economic Pulse

Real GDP Growth %: 6.8 (2004), 5.0 (2005), 5.9 (2006), 6.3 (2007), 5.0 (1st Qtr 2008)

Per Capita Income RM: 18,532 (2004), 18,966 (2005), 20,841 (2006), 23,103 (2007), 24,651 (1st Qtr 2008)

Inflation Rate %: 1.4 (2004), 3.0 (2005), 3.6 (2006), 2.0 (2007), 4.2 (1st Qtr 2008)

Average BLR %: 6.0 (2004), 6.2 (2005), 6.7 (2006), 6.7 (2007), 6.7 (1st Qtr 2008)

12 Month Fixed Deposit Average Interest Rate %: 3.7 (2004), 3.7 (2005), 3.7 (2006), 3.7 (2007), 3.7 (1st Qtr 2008)


Source: Bank Negara Malaysia Annual Report 2007

Upbeat Mood At Puchong Kinrara

Most developers are holding back their launches due to the escalating costs of construction. But over at Puchong Kinrara Development Sdn Bhd, the mood is upbeat. Last weekend, the company officially launched the third phase of its Mutiara Bukit Jalil development in Kuala Lumpur, and received good response. Buyers from as far as Sarawak, Penang, Kelantan and Terengganu came to see the show unit, says Puchong Kinrara Development managing director Justin Ong.

"The response was overwhelming as we had close to 2,000 walk-in customers on Sunday alone. Over the weekend, we managed to sell 40 units," he says. The 57-acre freehold Mutiara Bukit Jalil consists of six phases; its first three phases have a gross development value of RM250 million. The third phase comprises 184 units of 3-storey terraced homes, with built-ups of 3,600 sq ft, and tagged from RM668,888. A soft launch was held seven weeks ago, offering 99 units of which 67 were sold. This means 107 units have been sold so far. The target is to sell the remainder within the next six weeks. The first phase, consisting of 114 units of 3-storey terraced homes with built-ups of 2,600 sq ft, was launched in January 2005, and priced from RM388,000.

The homes have since been completed and handed over in May 2007, with 70% already occupied. The homes in the second phase, launched in February 2006, have improved designs, with built-ups of 2,900 sq ft, and tagged from RM423,000. They are currently being handed over to the owners. According to Ong, units in phases one and two have recently been sold in the secondary market for about RM460,000 and RM530,000 respectively. The whole development is fenced up, with 24-hour security. The houses in the third phase are developed based on the concept of "family homes", where extended families with parents and grandparents can stay under one roof. "We are not talking about single income households anymore. We are catering for larger families and there are at least two or three income earners per household.

Another draw is the easy accesibility to the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Putrajaya, Sunway and Mid Valley Megamall," says Ong. Purchasers in the earlier phases have expressed interest in phase three. "They loved the designs and are keen to sell their houses to buy our phase three homes," he adds. Each home comes equipped with a security alarm system and eight air conditioners. Also, fully integrated designer kitchens are also being offered for a limited time.

Phase three is targeted to be completed by June 2010. "We are sensitive to the needs of our purchasers. We are aware that purchasers usually have to fork out a lot of money to renovate their homes. We want our customers to appreciate our designs so that they need not have to renovate," says Ong. For example, he says, laminated timber has replaced timber strips for the flooring in phase three houses. These strips are more durable.

Ong says given the current uncertain market environment, there are two groups of buyers on the scene - those who think it is the perfect time to buy now, and those who adopt a "wait and see" approach. "Now is the time to buy, really. Property prices are expected to increase by at least 25% to 35% next year. By then, buyers could probably only afford smaller houses due to the higher costs of materials and land," says the lawyer-cum-developer. Mutiara Bukit Jalil will keep Puchong Kinrara Development busy for the next four years. However, the developer is looking at several plots of land in the Klang Valley for future developments.

Source: The Edge Daily, 04 August 2008

Prices On Down Trend

The sluggish secondary housing market in the Klang Valley is expected to continue till the end of the year. While 1Q2008 was a "weakening" period following an indecisive market, 2Q2008 was even quieter, says Allan Soo, managing director of Regroup Associates. "Although there were enquiries during 1Q2008, these were not followed through with commitments.

The market was softening further, going into 2Q2008, as sellers continue to hold out for higher prices. But now, agents say even the buyers are not there," he adds. "With neither buyers nor sellers in the secondary market, property prices are showing signs of moving downwards. It is already starting to happen and the property prices on a month-on-month comparison shows this trend," he explains when presenting the The Edge/Regroup Klang Valley Housing Property Monitor for 2Q2008. Soo expects this downtrend to last till the end of the year. He points out that the number of transactions in the secondary market has perceptibly contracted. "Sellers are reluctant to part with their properties at lower prices," he says. "Landed properties were more saleable than highrise. Existing landed properties in prime areas, such as Bandar Sri Damansara, Bangsar and TTDI, are still in demand provided prices are reasonable. Prime areas in USJ and Puchong seem to have a different demand driver as houses are still being snapped up at surprisingly high prices. Overall, landed properties in prime areas are still attracting interest," he adds.

From the data sampled, the secondary market for the 2Q under review saw prices and rents in some areas dropping from the preceding quarter. Comparing q-o-q, capital values for all property types generally declined in most areas sampled. Soo says buyers are holding out on property purchases because houses are big-ticket items, while sellers are forced to reduce their prices following the lack of demand. "While it is a general consensus that values are moving down, we can still find values of properties and projects on certain streets and hot spot areas of Damansara Heights, Mont'Kiara and Bangsar moving up," he says. He adds that demand for these properties may have undergone a time lag from the previous quarter and may not truly reflect the market. "These are individual cases on a specific street or condo project which could have been experiencing locational preference. It also suggests that there were not many transactions recorded at that time. Values may stabilise and go down in time," says Soo.

The capital values for the 1-storey terraced-type houses sampled remained unchanged except for those in Bandar Sri Damansara, Puchong Perdana and Bangsar Lucky Garden. While the initial two went down by 7.7% and 4.5% respectively, those in Lucky Garden increased by 8.9%. Meanwhile, the capital values of 2-storey terraced houses declined in Bandar Sri Damansara (4.6%), Bangsar (9.6%), USJ 6 (17.9%) and Pusat Bandar Puchong (5.1%), but increased in Bandar Utama (3%) and Bandar Puchong Jaya (3.6%). Values remained unchanged for the Taman Tun Dr Ismail's Athinahapan area. Values of highrise residences remained largely unchanged. Rentals for the condominiums sampled revealed that most areas remained unchanged from the previous quarter, including TTDI's Villa Flora and Kiara Park, Mont'Kiara Pines, Bangsar's Tivoli Villa and KLCC's Stonor Park. Those that saw an increase in rentals were Mont'Kiara Sophia (20%), Lanai Kiara (12%), Bangsar's Cascadium (16.7%), TTDI's The Residence and The Plaza (14.3%), Plaza Damas' Mayfair (16.7%) and KLCC's Marc Service Residence (1.8%). However, Soo advises property owners to renovate their units to make them more appealing to prospective tenants, who are mainly expatriates.

Primary market Despite the slowdown on the secondary and primary housing markets in the Klang Valley, there is still visible demand for niche developments in good locations. In terms of new products, Soo believes that smaller projects in areas like Damansara Heights and Bangsar will continue to experience demand from a select market.

"Depending on the type of product being offered in such projects, these properties are still able to attract both local and foreign buyers. These buyers are from an elite group that is not directly affected by the current economic climate and are interested in the property's capital appreciation," says Soo. He cites a bungalow project in Damansara Heights, which offers limited number of units, with large built-ups and tagged from RM18 million. For the general market-type properties, usually 2-storey homes of 100 units, with built-ups of about 2,000 sq ft, Soo observes that such products may find market resistance. However, there are exceptions in some good areas as seen in the recent successful product launches at Puchong, particularly IOI Group's Bandar Puteri Puchong township. "This shows that demand for properties in good locations has not been affected. It can also mean that the demand is localised, where such locations only appeal to a group of buyers," says Soo. The credit squeeze and stagflation, which translate into rising costs of doing business and shrinking demand, may lead to a further slowdown in property development. Soo says developers may opt to sell off their land and cut down their profits to minimise risks. "More developers may be taking this safer approach… selling their land and gaining some profits," he adds.

Source: The Edge Daily, 11 August 2008

UMW To Invest In New Outlets

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd has allocated RM200mil for opening new service centres, upgrading existing outlets and setting up new dealer branches this and next year.

Managing director Kuah Kock-Heng said the outlets would be located in Ipoh, Puchong, Kajang, Rawang, Bahau, Sabah and Sarawak.

Source: The Star, 14 August 2008

“The capital expenditure is our continuous effort to further expand the coverage of Toyota products and services nationwide,’’ he said at the opening of its 2S Larkin Service Centre on Wednesday.

Present at the event were UMW Holdings Bhd chairman Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin and UMW Toyota deputy chairman Takashi Hibi.

The RM24mil centre has a total built-up area of 6,992.25 sq m with 58 service bays, 28 body and paint bays, five washing bays, 14 reception bays and more than 230 car park bays.

Kuah said the centre serviced up to 25,414 vehicles last year and the company was targeting to service a total of 30,600 vehicles this year.

The company sold 11,136 new vehicles in Johor in 2007.

“The company is still upbeat on the sales of new Toyota vehicles in Malaysia despite globaleconomic uncertainties,’’ he said.

Kuah said the company sold 82,000 units of new vehicles in 2007 and was projecting to sell some 95,000 units of new vehicles this year.

He said the first seven months of 2008 registered 63,000 units of vehicles sold with June recorded the highest units of 10,100.

Kuah said orders received for July and August also showed the upward trend and it was likely to remain that way until end of the year.

He said Malaysians still had strong passion for cars and the new petrol retail prices announced in early June did not have much impact on the local automobile market.

The Whalf @ Taman Tasik Prima

Source: www.bolton.com.my

Alternative Routes Help Beat The Jam

Traffic jams are a daily ordeal Puchong folks have to go through. With Jalan Puchong and the Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP) as the only main roads connecting to Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya, Puchong residents have no choice but to face the jam every day.

During peak hours, the said roads would be packed with vehicles inching their way forward. Motorists either have to learn to live with the jams, or start hunting for alternative routes.

Here, StarMetro identifies three routes motorists can use to avoid the congestion. Two of these routes are also toll-free, adding to the savings of motorists.

Alternative Route 1

This route comes in handy when you need to avoid the particular stretch of the LDP from IOI Mall in Bandar Puchong Jaya to the Giant Hypermarket at Bandar Puteri Puchong. It takes you through three connected residential areas using inner link roads.

Motorists first have to get onto Persiaran Puchong Jaya Selatan, either from the LDP (before Binary University College) or Lebuhraya Sungai Besi-Puchong (after D’Cahaya Apartment).

Turn into Jalan Serindit will lead motorists to the newly-constructed link road connecting Persiaran Wawasan at Pusat Bandar Puchong Jaya.

At the end of the link (where you will see a height barrier), make an immediate left turn and pass by blocks of apartments on the left.

At the T-junction, turn left into Persiaran Indra and SK Pusat Bandar Puchong 2 will be on the left. Go straight until the end of the road and make a right turn.

At the traffic lights, motorists can either turn right into Lebuh Puteri to get back to the LDP, or left to the Taman Industri Pusat Bandar Puchong and connect back to Jalan Puchong.

Alternative Route 2

This route will take you to Serdang from Bandar Kinrara, without the need to travel on the LDP. But be warned, as the road conditions are not perfect as there are quite a number of potholes and uneven patches.

This route might seem complicated at first and it takes almost double the time compared with cruising on the rather straightforward LDP.

From Sungai Besi-Puchong Highway, get onto Jalan Kinrara 6 with the Kinrara Gold Club on the left and the Giant Hypermarket on the right.

Go straight until the end of the road and turn right at the traffic light onto Jalan Puncak Bukit Jalil.

Head on straight and take a left turn into Persiaran Puncak Jalil 1. Go straight and turn right at the T-junction.

The road curves with a sharp left turn. Follow the road and it will lead to a roundabout.

Take the 9 o’clock turn (first left turn) and get onto Persiaran Kota Perdana. Go straight until the traffic light. Bazaar Rakyat PKPS can be seen from the junction.

At the traffic light, turn left to head to Kompleks Pasar Borong Selangor, Equine Park, Serdang Jaya and Taman Bukit Serdang or turn right to connect back to the LDP to head towards Cyberjaya and Putrajaya.

Alternative Route 3

This detour will get you to USJ should the stretch of the LDP before the Puchong Barat Toll Plaza be congested.

Those coming from Bandar Puteri Puchong will pass by Tractors on the left and should head towards the elevated ramp with Taman Puchong Intan on the right.

Go under the ramp and turn right onto Persiaran Puchong Perdana at the traffic light. Head towards the 12 o’clock direction (go straight) at the first roundabout.

Take the 3 o’clock turn (third left turn) at the next roundabout and follow the road until the end.

This narrow road will lead you through some village houses and at the end of the road, turn left and to get back on the LDP, heading towards Putra Heights and USJ.

Source: The Star, 30 July 2008