Merdeka Special - Oldest Road

Jalan Mountbatten

Jalan Tun Perak today

Traffic congestion never left area

IN 1956, Mountbatten Road —one of the oldest roads in Kuala Lumpur —was a busy thoroughfare. Even at a time when there were not many cars on the road, the Mountbatten stretch was often “choked” with traffic.

Fifty years on, a lot has changed but the traffic congestion remains.

The road name itself we n t through three name changes: from Java Street to Mountbatten Road to Jalan Tun Perak.

In the 1950s, it was named Mountbatten Road in honour of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the British Supreme Commander in the Far East.

Today, Jalan Tun Perak is the site of a major LRT interchange; the Star and Putra lines both have stations here.

Note the photograph above which shows Whiteaways, Laidlaw & Co Ltd on the right. This was a popular department store then.

Though the older buildings still remain, the LRT stations and structure obscure much of the view of the buildings.

However, you can walk across the road to check them out.