KOTA KINABALU: After visiting Kota Kinabalu in 2012, Alan Borer opined that despite the city’s various attractions, including the hospitality of its people and beauty of its natural surroundings, it lacks one thing – proper city planning.
Borer conveying his suggestion using the city map on a tourism brochure at the Borneo Post office yesterday.
But it was during his current visit back to the city that Borer, a 65-year-old retired accountant from Las Vegas, thought that whatever action that needs to be taken to ensure the city’s development does not drive it towards a point of no return, it is facing an urgency as of now.
“It seems to me that overbuilding and under-planning the required infrastructure is where the city planning is at its best,” Borer told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He pointed out that the development of new projects such as the expansion of KK Times Square, Oceanus Waterfront mall, and another high-end waterfront luxury condominium near Jesselton Point, will only turn the already crowded city and poor traffic flow from bad to worse, if the public transportation problems are not being tackled first, especially considering that the additional lifestyle buildings will attract more visitors and patrons, which will in turn worsen traffic conditions.
This, he said, can be helped by first taking care of the public transportation system.
Borer suggested that the existing Kota Kinabalu–Tenom–Kota Kinabalu railway system should be extended to the Wawasan Bus Terminal currently undergoing reconstruction.
“Extending the railroad from Tanjung Aru back into the downtown area to at least the new bus terminal, would increase ridership dramatically, allow for smooth bus connections and take car, taxi or some bus routes off already congested roads,” suggested Borer.
“Even as a foreign visitor, I know many people commute from Papar and Putatan to the city centre. So having three or four morning and another three or four late afternoon/evening Papar-Putatan-Kota Kinabalu shuttles would make a lot of sense,” he said.
Providing further suggestion, Borer said covered walkways could also be built to connect the Tanjung Aru railway station to the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), for easier interchanging of transport for both local commuters and foreign visitors.
Adding on, Borer said that with other existing issues such as poor drainage that leads to regular flooding problem, building more concrete buildings will only increase water run-offs, other than more buildings needing more power generation, which will not help the prevailing power disruption problem in the state.
Borer also pointed out other issues relating to the city’s development which he felt were alarmingly short-sighted, such as the cutting down of trees along Gaya Street, as well as the upcoming mega project planned for Tanjung Aru beach.
“For example, have the authorities concerned thought of other options to tackle the bird problems in Gaya Street – such as spraying or netting – before taking the shortcut to wantonly chop off the trees – which took years to grow?” he said.
Coming from a city like Las Vegas, said Borer, his concern came from seeing his own hometown, as well as other towns that he had visited, take development towards the direction that could ruin the city.
“I love Kota Kinabalu and I have come here a couple of times. It is a beautiful place and I would hate to see it get to a point of no return.
“It is my hope that the people responsible for the city’s planning come to realise this and take the necessary action,” he said.