Bus terminals cannot be completed in two years – Mayor

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KOTA KINABALU: The completion of the three main bus terminals, the Southern by the City Hall and the Eastern by the Penampang District Council and the expansion of the existing Northern bus terminal in Inanam, would take longer and could not be done in two years.

Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir said the City Hall could only start construction of the Southern bus terminal and expansion of the Northern bus terminal once it had received the funding from the State and Federal Governments.

However, the existing bus terminal in Wawasan Plaza, which would be vacated by September, is expected to be completed within two years. Once completed, the bus terminal would serve as a transit bus terminal for city buses and shuttle buses between the terminals.

The Mayor was clarifying on the report in the local dailies over the weekend, which reported that the completion of the three main terminals would be done in two years time.

He said the completion of the three main terminals is important for possible implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in the City, as outlined in the Kota Kinabalu Public Transport Master Plan (KKPTMP).

Hence, he hopes that the funding needed to implement the projects would be channeled to the City Hall and the other relevant agencies in the very near future.

On the subject of the monorail as a mode of transport for the city, Madingkir said the study on light transit system which included the LRT, monorail and tramway is actually in the pipeline and covered under the long-term KKPTMP.

Madingkir said the government had also initiated for a comprehensive study on Sustainable Public Transportation Plan for Greater Kota Kinabalu City, which include the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system.

Meanwhile, Likas assemblyman Junz Wong has hailed the announcement by Madingkir that the Kota Kinabalu Rapid Transit (KKRT) system would be ready by 2015.

“Hopefully, this system could ease the traffic congestion within KK city because it is getting worse day by day,” he said.

Junz had also proposed that there should be a provision for a special land area for buses only as this could make the KKRT system more effective and efficient.

The DAP Sabah assistant pointed out that a systematic bus service is meant to ease traffic congestion problems and is considered a public service so operators of the BRT system should not be thinking solely of making lucrative profits.

“DBKK should also do a thorough study on how to ensure the safety and security of passengers because this is a major concern now as crime is on the rise,” he added.