Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur (8 July, 2016)

Jalan Petaling is a road through the Chinatown part of Kuala Lumpur. A section of it, between Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock and Jalan Sultan, still commonly known as Petaling Street, is today a sheltered pedestrian mall.

The vehicular portions of Jalan Petaling is today broken down into two portions, both being one-way streets with traffic flow going from south to north. The southern portion is from Bulatan Merdeka to Jalan Sultan while the northern portion is from Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock to Jalan Tun HS Lee. The southernmost portion of the road looks a bit less happening compared to the central portion. Among the roads that form junctions with Jalan Petaling include Jalan Balai Polis, Jalan Sultan, Jalan Hang Lekir, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Leboh Pudu and Jalan Tun HS Lee.

Originally called Petaling Street, it is one of the oldest streets in Kuala Lumpur. Sir Frank Swettenham mentioned its construction in March 1875¹. According to Mariana Isa in her book Streets of Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Petaling got its name from a Malay village in that area, Kampung Petaling, which got its name from a stream or river in the area, and that the river was named after the petaling tree, Ochanostachys amentacea.