While admitting that some areas such as KLCC were reachable enough, other locations were a bit harder to get to easily.“If I wanted to go to PWTC (Putra World Trade Centre), I would have to take the Kelana Jaya line and change somewhere at the Ampang Line.”“But what about if I wanted to go to Jalan Conlay, or some other street? How do I get there?” he asked, musing on possible bus routes running through the city.“I could take the LRT, and then take the taxi or the bus. But how long will this take? Will it be one or two hours?”
Alias argued that it was both more convenient and less “costly” to take one’s own car in getting around town than it was with the train or the bus.The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) is expected to come out with a public transport masterplan by September this year. However, it is unclear what the plan’s details will address, with very little information released to the public.FMT previously reported that Malaysia never drafted a public transport masterplan since its Independence. Transit experts have also expressed a lack of confidence that such a plan would be followed to the letter.
20 million vehicles
Alias said that he did not expect people to warm up to public transport, especially with the government pushing more cars out on the road every year.“On the one hand, you want to have a good public transport, with an efficient monorail, LRT, MRT and so on. On the other, you are also encouraging the sale of cars, such as national cars for getting around ,” the IIUM professor said.Up to the end of last year, Malaysia, with a population of 28 million, had a whopping 20 million registered vehicles. In addition, more than a million motor vehicles are registered in Malaysia annually.
Congestion zones
Even so, Alias cautioned the government in planning certain car-limiting measures. He cited the congestion charge zones such as Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing (ERP), which discourages road users from entering certain parts of a city during peak hours.“It is a good idea in terms of implementation, but the main hinderance is cost. People who drive alone will have to pay a fee (just to get through),” he said.“This will inconvenience the people and and in turn they will also blame the government.”
The government has considered introducing congestion pricing on many occasions over the years. However, these proposals were often met with intense public disapproval. Some officials have said that a good transit system was needed to precede congestion pricing.
Traffic jockeys
Alias argued that the government needed to have a clear plan in addressing transit issues in the Klang Valley, or it may face social problems in the future.He said that congestion pricing may lead to “traffic jockeys” – a common problem faced in Jakarta, Indonesia’s largest city.In 1992, Jakarta introduced a “three-in-one” rule that discouraged motorists from carrying fewer than three passengers per car on busy roads during peak hours.This policy led impoverished Jakartans to stand by the city’s roadsides, offering themselves to motorists to travel a few kilometres with them for a small fee.As such, the Jakartan police have come down hard on these jockeys, although the problem shows no sign of stopping.
Public transport apathy
Even with the lack of convenience, Alias argued that congestion was only going to get worse if Malaysians continued to have an apathetic view of public transport.“Let’s say you drive downtown and get caught in a jam. Then you start complaining, ‘The government comes up with the lousiest plans!” But are you going to stop driving? No! You are still going to drive everyday,” he said.The urban planner said that no government plan was going to work if the public didn’t go along with its plans.(The government aims to see 40% of the Klang Valley using public transport by 2020. Less than 20% of the Klang Valley residents currently use public transit.) “You are hoping for other people to stop driving and the authorities to do something. But if all of us are having that attitude, it won’t change. Nothing will change,” Alias said
Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/04/20/kl-public-transport-not-convenient/
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