Wong King Wei
KUCHING: Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei said while he did not wish to dampen Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg’s enthusiasm for the Light Railway Transit (LRT) project, he felt obligated to highlight a number of practical concerns to remind him, lest his public transport policy proposals move into ‘the realms of fantasy’.
First, Wong said he had not known of any city in the world that starts to solve its public transport problem by building a LRT system. In fact, there is no known city that is successful in solving its transportation challenges by building such a system.
“Therefore, Abang Johari’s sudden announcement to build an LRT in Kuching in the next three years is a huge shock to me, from which I have yet to recover. Initially, I thought either I have heard it wrongly or Abang Johari’s announcement has been misquoted. His repeated insistence, however, is reason for much anxiety,” he said in a press statement received here yesterday.
Wong said he had been relentless in pushing for better public transport in Sarawak, be it when speaking to ministers or during debates at the State Assembly.
“I thought I would be shedding tears of joy the day the government finally takes action to improve public transport. However, there is much to worry about with the chief minister’s public transport improvement plan.”
He said over the past 20 years, the state government has conducted at least three studies related to the issue of public transport in Sarawak, but with no concrete action or plan.
“Suddenly, the chief minister announced the LRT system. My question is: Where is the complete public transport blueprint? If there is none, how can the government guarantee that the proposed LRT system will complement the development of urban areas for the next 30 years?”
During a study tour of the Netherlands in 2011, Wong said he visited the Amsterdam City Planning Division and was introduced to the city’s 30-Year Transport Blueprint.
“Building a LRT system is different from planning bus routes due to its massive scale and high cost. There are also other issues regarding land acquisition and noise pollution in residential areas. Comprehensive planning, including a LRT system blueprint and city development plans for the next 30 years, is necessary.”
Additionally, he said effective public transport did not begin with having a LRT system. Instead, it should begin with the provision of public buses, the creation of bicycle lanes and the supply of taxis, among others.
“Moreover, the LRT system cannot operate in isolation because the coverage of a LRT system is limited. A public transport system will only be effective if there are dependable bus services, sufficient parking lots, safe bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways, and a reliable taxi network.
“Improving public transport does not begin with an LRT project, nor can a LRT system operate in isolation.”
In stating that LRT was not made for long-distance travel, Wong said the main function of LRT was to solve problems related to traffic and parking in congested city areas.
“Therefore, when Abang Johari first mooted the idea to connect Kuching, Samarahan and Serian using LRT, my first reaction was perhaps his statement had been misinterpreted. However, his subsequent statements have led me to believe he is merely playing to the gallery.
Wong said instead of investing in LRT that is extremely expensive to build, redirecting such spending to develop an efficient Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system will result in a public transport network that is wider and more comprehensive in coverage. This would solve traffic congestion not only in Kuching, but also in Sibu, Miri and Bintulu.
“The BRT is a new bus transport system that is conceptually similar to the LRT, but uses buses as the mode of transportation. The BRT system does not require exorbitant costs and does not take up huge areas of land.”
He also said a straightforward solution to improving connectivity with satellite cities such as Samarahan and Serian could easily be found by introducing better bus services and increasing the frequency of bus trips.
“Subsequently, the government can follow up by introducing the LRT or even MRT systems. It must be stressed that the LRT system is never meant for long-distance travel.”