URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

TABLE OF CONTENT

NO 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0

CONTENTS
Overview of Kuala Lumpur Transportation Systems Why we need an effective and efficient transportation Problems pertaining to transportation in Kuala Lumpur What the government/Authorities do to overcome/solve the issues Solutions or recommendations References

PAGE 2-3 3-5 5-7 7-8 8-9 10-11

GROUP A

Page 1

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

1.0 Overview of Kuala Lumpur Transportation System As we know, Kuala Lumpur is the most popular city in Malaysia. Besides that, Kuala Lumpur is the centre of Malaysia economic activity. Kuala Lumpur cover an area of 243 km2, with 1.4milliom of population and total current employment of 838, 000 (Hilmi Mohamad, 2003). Although Kuala Lumpur is a small city, but it contribute 12.4% of GDP of the country (Hilmi Mohamad, 2003). The development of the transportation system of Kuala Lumpur can be divided into 3 eras, which is pre-independent, post-independent and contemporary. For the pre-independent era, the common transport are rickshaws, elephants, sampans (boats) and bull or horse drawn carriages in Kuala Lumpur. The trains mostly used for transporting tin from the mines to the nearest port which is Port Klang (Firrdhaus Sahabuddin, 2011). After independent, which is from 1960s to 1990s, mini bus has become the most popular public transport. Most of the people rely on the mini bus to work, school and personnel travel. In 20th century, public transport systems in Kuala Lumpur have been improved because of the rapid urban growth population and affordable high technology transportation from other countries. The public transports that have been developed in Kuala Lumpur are KL Monorail (elevated railway), KTM Commuter & ERL (electrified),PUTRA & STAR LRT (elevated & tunnel) (Firrdhaus Sahabuddin, 2011). Besides that, greater KL is a relatively new term as compared to the more prevalent and established Klang Valley term. This term is espoused by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak as an urban agglomeration to spur the country's economic growth by the billions in the Economic Transformation Programme announced in 2010.

GROUP A

Page 2

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

Furthermore, the Klang Valley (GKL/KV) National Key Economic Area (NKEA) is one of the 12 NKEAs under the Economic Transformation Programme. The purpose of this NKEA is to transform Klang Valley into the top-20 most livable metropolis globally and top-20 in terms of economic growth. Greater KL/KV comprises the area under the administration of ten local authorities. 2.0 The effective and efficient transportation system Like many economic activities that are intensive in the use of infrastructures, the transport sector is an important component of the economy impacting on development and the welfare of populations. A relation between the quantity and quality of transport infrastructure and the level of economic development is apparent. When transport systems are efficient, they provide economic and social opportunities and benefits that result in positive multipliers effects such as better accessibility to markets, employment and additional investments. When transport systems are deficient in terms of capacity or reliability, they can have an economic cost such as reduced or missed opportunities and lower quality of life. Efficient transportation reduces costs, while inefficient transportation increases costs. The impacts of transportation are not always intended, and can have unforeseen or unintended consequences such as congestion. Transport also carries an important social and environmental load, which cannot be neglected. Furthermore, well transportation system is very important to a country because it can attract lot tourists to visit our country. For example, the railway of Paris, France has an excellence railways system, because the connection within in Paris is all link, therefore it is very convenient for tourists to take railway to anywhere in Paris. In addition, the railway at European country is all linked to each other, so when tourists want to travel to other country within in Euro
GROUP A Page 3

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

it has multiple transportation options which is railway or flight. Besides, if companies want to transport of cargo they can choose by using railway and it can save a lot of cost compared to flight. In the other hands, a country without an efficiency and effective transport system, it will affect the economy of the country, because a smart investor will consider a lot of benefits if they really want to invest their business in the country, hence transportation is the first priority they will consider aspect, so that they would not choose that country without inconvenient transportation system to increase company cost. Next, besides railway system there are another option is very important to transportation system which is road transport. Road transport can be the most flexible option for your international or domestic business, especially within the European. The motorway network is good and crossing national borders is usually quick and efficient. [2] There have few advantages of road transport which is relatively low cost, extensive road networks - scheduled delivery days and next day delivery services are a viable option, company can schedule transport to suit driver and company can track the location of goods and consignments can be secure and private. Certainly, an effective and efficient transportation system is very important to a country, because it can promote economy of a country. But while many of the economic impacts of transportation are positive, there are also significant negative impacts that are assumed by individuals or by the society in one way or another. For example, transportation the use of transport modes and infrastructure is never entirely safe. Every motorized vehicle contains an element of danger and nuisance. Due to human errors and various forms of physical failures injuries, damages and even death occur. Accidents tend to be proportional to the intensity of use
GROUP A Page 4

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

of transport infrastructures which means the more traffic the higher the probability for an accident to occur. 3.0 Problems Pertaining to Transportation in Kuala Lumpur In Kuala Lumpur, nothing gets on your nerves more than traffic jams and rude drivers. Traffic congestion in KL is particularly linked with motorization and the diffusion of the automobiles, which has increased the demand of the transport infrastructures. However, the supply of infrastructures has often not been able to keep up with the growth of mobility. Since vehicles spend the majority of the time parked, motorization has expanded the demand for parking space, which has created space consumption problems particularly in central areas. As we know, the main way to travel from one destination to another in Kuala Lumpur is by driving. While the entire city is well connected with highways and bridges, the planning and design of Kuala Lumpur road network betrays third-class management. The problem in KL is that the road that were initially three lanes becomes two lanes in a blink of an eye, places that drivers can make U-turns are not specified, road signs who did not mention correctly which can make people turn to the wrong junction, and also bottlenecks are at everywhere. The congestion that happens in Kuala Lumpur is caused by the slow movement or no movement by vehicle. Congestion occurs in Kuala Lumpur when transport demand exceeds transport supply in a specific section of the transport system. For example, the supply of the infrastructure such as road could not meet the demand. More vehicles on road than the roads can cope. Besides, the congestion occur in Kuala Lumpur because of the poor planning which are unable to forecast the traffics and inefficient transport information and monitoring system. For

GROUP A

Page 5

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

example, traffic lights at intersections do not consider the number of traffic from other lanes require more green. Besides, the behavior of the driver also will effect to make the congestion to occur. Some driver guilt in misusing the side lane which is for emergency purposes. A three lane road becomes four lanes. There are stretches of the road where wider lanes converge to narrower lanes and these create unnecessary bottle neck as vehicles have to weave in. Besides, some of the driver shows their infamous selfish act which is to park at the roadside even though clear "No Parking" signage is displayed. People side park for their own convenience. Some do it to pick up their children from school while some needed to run their errands but couldn't find a proper parking space or they are just too lazy to walk so they side park. All these small selfish acts of ours are causing nuisance to other motorists at large ( Daniel Liew, 2012). In Kuala Lumpur, the most serious issue concerning the public transportation system is a lack of focus and coordination at all levels throughout the system. As we know, public transportation in KL consists of buses, LRT, monorail, airport express rail link, and commuter rail. However, at the level of the government does not actively promote public transportation. It also mean the there is a lack of government focus on the issue. In the 8th Malaysia Plan, there is much emphasis on improving the quality of life in urban areas and a concern for environmental issues but there are few direct references to public transportation. In addition, no single ministry or department is in charge of public. Lack of focus and coordination at all levels throughout the system will lead to a low level of service. For example, route maps and schedules for buses are not readily available and routes are subject to change. There is also the amount of 2 million vehicles on the streets of KL.
GROUP A Page 6

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

Besides, congestion in many large cities can also be extremely severe and air pollution is now a serious environmental concern many cities. Congestion impacts productivity, which melt in economic costs in addition to pollution problems, which affect to the public health. The greatest environmental health concern is exposure to five particulate matters and to lead which contributes to learning disability in young children. Therefore, the action needs to be taken in order to solve the traffic congestion in Kuala Lumpur. 4.0 What the government or authorities do to overcome the issues The federal government thought a new paradigm for transport planning has emerged to overtake the predict and provide approach ( Goodwin,1991). This new approach arose due to the concerns on impacts of future roads on the environment, the inability of even massive road building programmes to tackle the rapid increase in traffic and the cost of road construction during a period of tight fiscal restraint. Following an awareness of a new paradigm, a new realism in transport planning were refocusing for preoccupation with maximising mobility towards the goal of maximising accessibility. However, in developing KL cities, engineers tend to cling to the idea that transport issues should be handled by engineers and they also have strong influence on ministers and political masters with regards to roads and infrastructural projects, particularly as these politicians need to maintain long standing commitments to particular road schemes (Vigar, 1997). There is a need to restructure and recognize the institutions and management structure in order to break out the predict and provide approach as such agencies or organizations often play a lead role in the implementation of a public transport policy which defines the role of public transport in the city.

GROUP A

Page 7

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

Besides that, government ensure a co-operation amongst people at different levels involved in the planning of urban transport through dialogues, meetings, workshops and seminars to revamp outdated thinking (Vigar, 2000). Government also stress the need for an awareness of transport sustainability by stakeholders and policy makers to ensure the success of new policies. They emphasised that this will create a cultural community which have common interests and goals . Without shared objectives and similar goals, it is not likely that stakeholders and bus operators can achieve success in urban public transport. Moreover, state government must proposed that the new authority to be created should be a permanent body with full time staff and financial resources and would be entrusted with the sole responsibility for urban transportation and traffic planning in Kuala Lumpur city. It is suggested that since such decentralised authority for transport has never been created in the KL city before, experienced staff may need to be sourced from outside the country in the preliminary stages. This means that it may be necessary to source transport experts from foreign countries wellqualified in the field of public transport to educate staff who may be drawn from existing government bodies. 5.0 Solutions or recommendations If we live in urban area such as KL city, traffic congestion can be a major daily headache. It is bad enough that there is not enough road capacity for the increasing numbers of vehicles travelling on them, and rude and aggressive drivers make a bad situation even worse. The best way to avoid contributing to traffic congestion is to take mass transit. When travelling around town, jump on a bus or train instead of in your car. Taking mass transit can be faster, cheaper and more relaxing. It also helps minimize environmental damage caused by excessive car use.
GROUP A Page 8

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

Active transportation such as jogging, walking, roller balding and riding a bicycle is another way of reducing congestion. Active transportation takes cars off roads and it is the most cost effective means of transportation for short distances. This is also an easy way to improve your health, cut your gas bill and save the environment. Besides that, if the destination is too far away for active transportation or mass transit alone, combine the two to increase your commuting range allowing you to ride to and from the transit stops nearest your destination. Many mass transit systems are designed with cyclists in mind with racks on the fronts of buses, bike lockers at major stops, or even entire train cars designated for bicycle storage during travel. Besides that, the Zipper method of merging utilizes the entire roadway and ensures a smooth and even merge of two lanes of traffic by alternating between the two lanes. Instead of racing to the end of the merge lane, or merging prematurely before the end of the lane, drivers in the merging lane should continue to the end of the lane at a speed that is matched to the second lane. Drivers in the second lane should then allow the merging lane to alternate one for one as they merge together into a single lane. Racing to the end of the merging lane infuriates other drivers, and merging prematurely creates a situation that inefficiently uses the roadway. Smoothly alternate one for one with the zipper method.

GROUP A

Page 9

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

6.0 References

Challenging facing urban transportation. Retrieved from September, 30, 2013, from: http://www.pdssb.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=203&Itemi d=246 Liew, D. (2012). Traffic congestion. Retrieved from October, 6, 2013 from http://www.danliew.com/2012/09/traffic-congestion/ Schwarcz, S. (2003). Public transportation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Retrieved fromSeptember,30,2013,from:https://www.google.com.my/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s& source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&ved=0CEwQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.mit.edu%2 Fmtransgroup%2Freports%2Freports%2520pdf%25203-2504%2FSchwarcz%2520_2002_%2520Public%2520Transport%2520in%2520KL.pdf&ei =zR5JUv2zHcjWrQe1roCYBw&usg=AFQjCNHyS8JGVbYOCyq-X9-1BJ0hEY69w&sig2=wBwiOE6yH6569l9RF_cUUg&bvm=bv.53217764,d.bmk The main problem with Kuala Lumpur. Retrived from September, 30, 2013, from: http://jjjjournal.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/the-main-problem-with-kuala-lumpur/ Gov.UK. (2013). Transport and distribution for international trade. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from https://www.gov.uk/transport-and-distribution-for-international-trade

J, P, Rodrigue,. & T, Notteboom. (n.d.). The geography of transport systems: Transportation and economic development. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch7en/conc7en/ch7c1en.html Hilmi Mohamad. (2003). Rail Transportation in Kuala Lumpur. Retrieved from http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr35/pdf/f21_moh.pdf Bill Shuster. (2013). Efficient Transportation System is Crucial to Economy, Way of Life.

Retrieved from http://thehill.com/special-reports/transportation-and infrastructure-march2013/287781-efficient-transportation-system-is-crucial to-economy-way-of-life M. Sreenivas. (2012). The Role of Transportation in Logistic Chain. Retrieved from http://www.siam.org/journals/plagiary/1814.pdf

GROUP A

Page 10

URBAN AND RURAL TRANSPORT BPMG3033

William Street. (2012). Guidelines for Preparation of Integrated Transport Plans. Retrieved from http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/dop_pub_pdf/guidelines_integrated_transpo whole.pdf Jamesesz. (2009). The Main Problem with Kuala Lumpur. Retrieved from http://jjjjournal.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/the-main-problem-with-kuala-lumpur/ Barter, Paul (2001) Transport Choices for Malaysian Cities and Towns paper presented during Consumers Association of Penang National Seminar on Changing Direction Towards Sustainable Transport in Malaysia, 7 10 September 2001, RECSAM,Penang, Malaysia. Sustainability Series, Spon Press: London and New York.

GROUP A

Page 11