DOWN MEMORY LANE: BULATAN CHOW KIT, KL

The 1977 photo shows Bulatan Chow Kit, which was later removed to ease traffic congestion.

Intersection Today

The Chow Kit roundabout has completely disappeared. Today, the harsh concrete intersection where Jalan Pahang, Jalan Ipoh, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, and Jalan Raja Muda collide is dominated by the overhead KL Monorail tracks. The lush landscaped green island from 1977 was asphalted over to handle high traffic volume. While the historic pre-war shophouses still line the streets, the surrounding area has evolved to mix its heritage. Traditional stalls like those at Bazaar Baru Chow Kit now sit alongside modern boutique spots like The Chow Kit – An Ormond Hotel and hipster cafes. 

History of KL's Old Roundabouts

Built in 1956, the Chow Kit Roundabout (also known as the Raja Muda Roundabout) is widely regarded as Malaysia’s first major urban roundabout. It was originally designed to manage traffic at a quieter edge of the city, complete with a local post office located on its northern quadrant. During the late 20th century, Kuala Lumpur relied heavily on iconic rotaries—such as the massive Bulatan Pekeliling (Edinburgh Circus)—to regulate multi-road traffic. As KL underwent rapid vehicle explosion in the 1990s, these wide, grassy circles quickly transformed into major gridlock bottlenecks, forcing the city to demolish them in favor of multi-tier flyovers, traffic lights, and rail lines. 

1970s Malaysian Transport

The black-and-yellow vehicles shown on the bottom left are classic Austin Cambridge and Morris Oxford taxis, which served as the backbone of urban transport across the Klang Valley during the 1970s. This era also marked the height of the iconic Bas Mini (Mini Bus) system, introduced in 1975. Painted in bright pinkish-red colors with white stripes, these legendary, non-air-conditioned buses were famous for their daredevil, fast-paced driving style. They tightly packed passengers as they darted through neighborhoods like Chow Kit and Kampung Baru before they were phased out in the late 1990s. 

Archival Heritage of Bulatan Pekeliling

Old archives of Bulatan Pekeliling (Edinburgh Circus) show it bordered by the iconic, blocky Pekeliling Flats, which were built in 1967 as one of KL's earliest high-rise low-cost housing projects. Images from the 1970s and 1980s capture a massive, green grassy roundabout bustling with vintage vehicles. This historic rotary was completely demolished by the late 1990s and early 2000s to make way for the multi-tier flyovers of Jalan Tun Razak and the infrastructure for the KL Monorail and LRT lines.

Walking Route: Historic Shophouses of Jalan TAR

You can easily explore the surviving pre-war architecture along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Jalan TAR) via this historic walking route:

• Stop 1: Chow Kit Monorail Station – Start at the northern end of Jalan TAR. Step outside to see where the old roundabout once stood, now covered by monorail tracks. 
• Stop 2: Pre-war Shophouses (Nos. 1–19) – Walk south down the road to spot early 1900s Utilitarian and Art Deco shophouses featuring narrow five-foot ways and wooden window shutters.
• Stop 3: Capital Cafe (Kedai Makanan Capital) – Stop at No. 213. This iconic 1950s kopitiam still functions with its original tile floors, serving generations of multicultural patrons. 
• Stop 4: SOGO & Pertama Complex – Conclude at the intersection of Jalan Dang Wangi, where heritage architecture directly contrasts with KL's earliest modern shopping complexes. 

Transition: Rail Replacing Automotive Pathways

The city's rapid development directly pushed out old automotive circular hubs. The introduction of the LRT Ampang/Sri Petaling Line and the KL Monorail required dense concrete pillars to be planted straight through the centers of old open roundabouts. Ground transport lanes were completely shifted and streamlined into one-way grids to accommodate heavy multi-lane traffic, trading the slow, scenic green circles of the 1970s for high-speed mass transit infrastructure. 

Reference:

1. The Edge: Cover Story: Preserving history for a sustainable future.
2. Badan Warisan Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur Heritage Trails.
3. The Malaysian Reserve: The Allure of Old and New Chow Kit.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

3 August 2026: 2.08 p.m