TRANSIT takes note of this Hotline Story in the Malay Mail which complains of non-functioning card-readers at various LRT stations throughout the Klang Valley.

Poser over LRT station’s non-functioning card-readers

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

ALINA of Petaling Jaya wonders why there is no turnstile card-reader that works at RapidKL Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations.

“It doesn’t matter which station I am at, but the card-readers don’t seem to work,” she says.

“This is a hassle to customers who hold stored-value cards because they do not remember the balance.

“Because the card-readers do not work, card-holders end up having to pay in cash for fear that there is not enough credit to pay for their trip.”

ALINA wants RapidKL to shed some light on the matter.

● A RAPIDKL spokesperson says their technicians are always on standby during peak hours at busy stations to assist LRT commuters.
“We would appreciate if our commuters can provide details, such as the time and date as well as the stations where card-readers are not functioning.”
Queries can also be made at the RapidKL Helpline at 03-78852585 from 7am to 8.30pm (Monday to Friday), and 8.30am to 5.30pm (Saturday to Sunday); or give feedback to suggest@rapidkl.com.my.

TRANSIT Says:

Further to the above comment from RapidKL, TRANSIT also invites readers to give us feedback about card-readers at LRT stations, as well as any concerns that you have about public transport service so we can highlight these to Prasarana, RapidKL and the various authorities.

Email TRANSIT at klangvalley.transit@gmail.com, send a tweet to twitter.com/transitmy or reply to this posting with your comments.

I don’t really enjoy sending compliments Houston’s way, even though I love my family and most close relatives live there, but I do think Houston deserves props for moving full speed ahead on light rail.  Land is Houston is used so haphazardly that it remains to be seen whether transit can ever make a meaningful dent on single-rider car use, but I really applaud Houston for going after it and setting an example for many other cities to consider.

PUTRA Heights & Subang Alam say no to LRT, Subang Jaya & USJ say aye. 

Star Metro, 17 December 2009
LRT plan gets the nod as residents feel it will ease traffic

A FEW residents associations and organisations in Subang Jaya and USJ have given the thumbs up to the LRT extension plan.

They feel that the LRT would be a convenient alternative for residents who have had enough of traffic congestion and poor bus services in the townships.

Subang Jaya Senior Citizens Club president Yeong Teik Boon believed that the extension would shorten the travelling time between Subang Jaya and the city centre.

“Buses here are not punctual and the Komuter station is not easily accessible by all,” he said.

Jamaludin Ibrahim of the USJ 5 residents association welcomed the LRT extension as it would help the people save money and time, while Subang Jaya Consumers’ Association secretary Gan Meng Foo believed that it would alleviate traffic congestion.

However, they hoped that the feeder bus services would be well-planned.

Persatuan Poh Toh Subang Jaya chairman Koay Teng Koon added that the car park facilities must be sufficient to encourage car owners to use the LRT to get to their destinations.

The Subang Jaya Coffee Merchants, Bars and Restaurants Association, meanwhile, urged the authorities to look into the environmental and health aspects when implementing the extension.

Kelana Jaya MCA chairman Ong Chong Swen, who is also the USJ 5 residents association deputy president, is hoping that the LRT extension would change the people’s travelling habits.

“They can take the trains to work and use their own cars for leisure on the weekends,” she said.

Ong added that she was informed by Prasarana that it had received 92% positive feedback on the project.

JKP Zone 4 deputy chairman Shafiee Shariff Abdullah also hoped that construction work would commence as soon as possible.

Subang Jaya resident M. Vivekananda, on the other hand, was concerned about the efficiency of the LRT in solving the traffic problem in the Klang Valley.

“Using the proposed LRT extensions can result in having to travel in a rather circuitous route.

“Additionally, if the existing LRT lines have not solved the transport problem in Kuala Lumpur, how can they be expected to solve the transportation problems in the other areas such as Subang Jaya and USJ?” he asked.

He suggested the authorities look into transport woes in a holistic manner to overhaul the traffic management system.

“By extending the LRT, Prasarana cannot bring about a magical transformation to end the transportation woes. A colossal amount of taxpayers money is involved in this project.

“The authorities need to make a judicious decision in the name of progress and sustainable development,” he said.

Another Subang Jaya resident G. H. Goh suggested that an independent loop be formed along the Damansara-Puchong Expressway for travellers heading to Petaling Jaya to save the time of LRT users who are heading to Kuala Lumpur.

Star Metro, 15 December 2009
Residents say no to extension

PUTRA Heights and Subang Alam residents are dead against the proposed LRT extension routes in their townships.

A total of 1,155 feedback forms were submitted on behalf of the residents by the Subang Alam/Putra Heights LRT Task Force to the Department of Railways (DoR) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Prem Kaur, who is also the Putra Heights Section 2/3 Residents Association president, said the residents preferred the proposed route drawn up by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) to the one proposed by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (Prasarana).

The former runs through the Hicom industrial area and Taman Alam Megah and ends with a station in Putra Heights while the latter has three stops along Jalan Persiaran Putra in Putra Heights.

The residents’ rationale in opposing to the latter is that it runs along a 5kV power line and that they bought their houses without prior knowledge on the LRT extension.

“When we moved in seven years ago, we were fully aware that there was no public transportation here.

“We enjoy the low density and the quiet,” Prem said.

Subang Alam Residents Association president Ikmal Hisham Abdul Ghani pointed out that the MBSA’s proposed route would run through industrial and commercial areas, thus benefitting more people than in Putra Heights.

“The profile of Putra Heights residents are medium class and above, and most have their own means of transport,” he said.

Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit (Transit) adviser Moaz Yusof Ahmad, on the other hand, recommended that the DoR and Transport Minister reject the proposed routes until Prasarana conducted thorough studies that justified the scheme and the anticipated construction and operations costs.

“It appears that no economic feasibility study and public transport planning study have been conducted before choosing the 35km extension routes,” Moaz said.

In its 80-page report, Transit put forward its view that the proposed routes did not meet the public’s expectations on various aspects, including competency, consistency, connectivity and efficiency.

“The proposed routes are different from the ones in the Selangor State Structural Plan 2006 and both the state and federal governments should work together on this matter.

“The use of land comes under the state’s jurisdiction, although transport is a federal matter,” he said.

Transit also recommended that a new Urban Mass-Transit Act be introduced.

“The Railways Act 1991 treats all railways the same while there are more issues to be addressed when dealing with an urban railway, including parking, noise, construction and costs,” he added.

Moaz insisted that the route should be well planned to avoid irreversible mistakes in the extension that was estimated to cost RM7bil.

“For instance, the stations may pose parking problems, like in Petaling Jaya, if the extension is poorly planned,” he said.

He urged the DoR to take a month to study the public’s feedback before determining the final LRT extension routes.

The feedback was received by DoR technical division assistant director Izamir Idrus.

Survived Day One and Zero on to Day 3.

Breakfast at Mamak stalls

Start your day with some light breakfast either in the hotel or by the streets, if you opt for the later keep an open eye for roadside stalls or mamak stalls. If you fail to locate any, then head on to Lorong Perak. This is not the greatest of mamak stalls, but I usually frequent these stalls prior to getting to work every morning back in Malaysia. Word of caution, mamak stalls can lack a little by hygene standards. Read all about it here. So approach with caution.

Batu Caves

After your breakfast. Hob onto a taxi and make your way to Batu Caves. It is rather unfortunate that you’ll be in KL in December and not 30 Jan as 30th Jan is Thaipusam. Nonetheless, it should not deter one from visiting the Batu Caves.

Spend some time exploring the area. By all means make your way up the stairs.

Lunch at Foong Foong Restaurant
613, Jalan 21. Off Jalan Merdeka in Ampang
One of my personal favourite Malaysian Chinese food is “Yong Tau Fu“. The best place to go for “Yong Tau Fu” has got to be the Foong Foong Restaurant. My understanding is that Yong Tau Fu are always stuffed with fish paste. However wikipedia suggests that it may also contain pork. So approach with caution with what you order.

Mid Valley Mega Mall

From Foong Foong restaurant, grab a taxi to the nearest Putra LRT station called Damai. You’ll be taking a pretty long LRT ride, so sit back relax and rest your legs. You want to get off at University Station. From University station, hob onto a taxi and head to Mid Valley Mega Mall. You’ll probably want to spend some time at the Mall. Catch a movie, shop around or eat more food.
Sri Paandi Banana Leaf rice
Section 11, Petaling Jaya, just off the road from Jalan Universiti.

Sri Paandi Restaurant is another of my favourites. Its and Indian restaurant that serves a variety of food. Their business acquisition skills are pretty agressive something that we could all learn i suppose.

If I were to go to Sri Paandi in the evenings, I would definitely go for the Banana Leaf rice. Alternatively, if you wish to have something light, try the Thosai. There are many variations of the Thosai. But my favourite by far is the “Ghee Thosai” as the name describes, Thosai with “lots” of Ghee. Works for me everytime. If you’re feeling a little health cautious, then go for the “Thosai Garing” which means extra crunchy Thosai. Or if you feel like having something sweet ask for the “Paper Thosai” you’ll be in for a pleasant surprise

Petaling Street

When you’re done with dinner, it’s time to head back. But before that make your way to “Petaling Street” otherwise known as “Chinatown”. You hop on a taxi or if you’re feeling adventurous, try the LRT again from Universiti station to Medan Tuanku Monorail (that’s the closest station to Petaling Street).

This is an excellent opportunity to get ripped-off. But heck that’s why we’re called tourist isn’t it? Anyway, but on your bargaining hat on and start negotiating.

Watch out for the roasted chestnuts stall dead at the center of Petaling Street. None of my trips to Petaling Street will be complete without the roasted chestnuts.

Residents of Subang Alam and Putra Heights oppose LRT line

• Update 2: new video & article
  
• Update 1: new articles

The video below from the Malaysian Mirror shows a press conference in Shah Alam on 11 December 2009, where residents of the area express their opposition to the proposed LRT line extension

The following articles are also mentioned:

• Article: Residents protest LRT extension route (Malaysiakini)
• Article: Objection to proposed LRT route (the Star)

TRANSIT Says:

And now the fun really starts.

• Update 1: Updated with our submission

Dear Editor

For Immediate Release – TRANSIT Submits feedback on proposed LRT Extensions to Director General, Department of Railways

The members of the Association for the Improvement of Mass-Transit (TRANSIT) will submit our feedback on the proposed LRT extensions to the Director General of the Department of Railways at 11:00 am on 14 December 2009.

The location for the submission will be at:

Department of Railways
13th Floor, Menara Dayabumi
Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin
50050, KUALA LUMPUR
Tel: 03-2278-1222
Fax: 03-2272-1900

This will be followed by a conference with the media. Copies of a summary of the submission will be distributed.

For further information, please contact TRANSIT at 012-248-3330 or klangvalley.transit@gmail.com. A copy of this statement has been posted to TRANSIT website at http://transitmy.org/2009/12/11/transit-submits-feedback-on-LRT/

Kind Regards

Moaz Yusuf Ahmad
on behalf of TRANSIT

w. http://transitmy.org

————————————————————————————————-

TRANSIT’s Submission on the Proposed Railways Scheme for the extension of the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT lines to Putra Heights

————————————————————————————————-

Statement

The Association for the Improvement of Mass-Transit will submit a copy of their feedback on the proposed Railways Scheme for the extension of the Ampang LRT Line (LRT Sistem 1) and Kelana Jaya LRT Line (LRT Sistem 2) from their current terminals to a new integrated terminal in Putra Heights.

We hope that this feedback will convey to the Director General of Railways and the Minister of Transport that TRANSIT is extremely concerned about the planning of public transport in the Klang Valley.

TRANSIT raises its concern about the current language of the Railways Act 1991, which treats all forms of railways as the same.  TRANSIT believes that there are significant differences between an urban mass-transit railway and a rural or intercity railway and that the Railways Act 1991 or future Public Land Transport Act 2010 (SPAD Act) should identify and define these differences.

In our submission, TRANSIT also questions why the proposed railways scheme is different from the Selangor Structural Plan (2006). Although TRANSIT recognizes that the Federal government has the responsibility to regulate transport (including public transport), the State Governments have a significant role to play with respect to the planning and land use associated with that transport.

TRANSIT also questions whether a complete public transport planning study and economic feasibility study were conducted for these proposed lines.  If these studies were conducted, why where they not made public?

We are aware that a survey of residents was conducted in 2007 and wish to know why the results were not made public.

TRANSIT also believes that the language of the Railways Act 1991 does encourage the Director General of Railways and the Minister of Transport to direct the Railway company to submit further information to them or to the public regarding the railways scheme.

TRANSIT asks the Director General of Railways and the Minister of Transport to play a more proactive role in the planning of public transport and Railways Schemes by directing their officers to improve the structure of the public display and directing Railway Companies to make public all studies related the planning and analysis of their Railway Schemes.

As you know, TRANSIT has been following the list of objections related to the proposed Railways Scheme for the extension of the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT lines.

A group of residents of Putra Heights and Subang Alam have expressed their concerns about the route of the proposed Kelana Jaya LRT extension between their communities.

Their argument is that running the LRT along the Tenaga Nasional power lines would require the electricity towers to be moved closer to Subang Alam, which would bring the towers closer to their homes.

In addition, they argue that the extension of the LRT between Putra Heights and Subang Alam should be replaced by an LRT extension into Subang Alam, which will serve a larger area with a better mix of residential, commercial and industrial space.

TRANSIT was invited to join the tour of the proposed route between Subang Alam and Putra Heights. Also present was the MP for Kota Raja and officers from the MPSJ and MBSA

The photos below show some images from the proposed locations of Station 11 and 12.

The site of proposed Station 11 and the power line. Image courtesy of TRANSIT

View of powerline near houses in Subang Alam. Image courtesy of TRANSIT

North facing view of powerline near houses in Subang Alam. Image courtesy of TRANSIT

South facing view of powerline near houses in Subang Alam. Image courtesy of TRANSIT

Members of the group discuss the plans with the local MP. Image courtesy of TRANSIT

Members of the group discuss the plans with the local MP. Image courtesy of TRANSIT

This image shows a mining pool between Putra Heights & Subang Alam with homes in Putra Heights on the other side of the pool. The level of water in the pool is higher than the houses in Subang Alam, where this photo was taken. Image courtesy of TRANSIT

TRANSIT took note of a recent article in the Star newspaper that discusses the effect of investments that investment in public transport infrastructure will have on public transport use.

Building confidence in public transport (the Star)
28 November 2009
By SHARIDAN M.ALI

FOR most of Klang Valley residents, the choice between driving in traffic jams and commuting in sardine-packed light rail transit (LRT) or buses during peak hours makes little difference.

The Government has set what seems to be an ambitious target of increasing public transport usage to 25% by 2012 from the current 16%. To do that, there ought to be a concerted support from related Government agencies, private bus operators, taxi companies as well as the LRT and the largest public bus [and LRT & monorail] operator, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd.

With emphasis on that and as one of the lead drivers to achieve the target, Prasarana hopes to instil confidence of using public transport by providing more comfortable, reliable and efficient services. [TRANSIT: They have a long, long way to go and sometimes it appears that they are going backwards!]

Currently, Prasarana has the biggest ridership; it transports a daily average of 400,000 people on its buses, 300,000 people on its two LRT services and 100,000 people on the monorail.

Datuk Idrose Mohamed says the company wants the public to associate RAPID services with efficiency, comfort and reliability. Image courtesy of The Star

Clearly, a lot more needs to be done to boost the country’s public transportation usage, which is still lagging behind other Asian countries like Singapore and South Korea where the usage is more than 50% and 70% respectively.

Prasarana, a Government-own company under the Ministry of Finance Inc, is acquiring new and longer trains as well as carrying out route extensions for the LRT service, ordering new buses and upgrading the present LRT stations.

The extensions of its two LRT services namely the Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line with an estimated cost of RM7bil is expected to commence construction in the first quarter of next year. The construction will take three years to complete; the delivery of 35 four-car trains valued at RM1bil will be staggered over two years starting early next year while the delivery of 400 new buses, also staggered, will start early next year. [TRANSIT: We wonder if the Auditor General will once again be talking about overpayment and overspending by Prasarana in regards to these projects & purchases.]

“Besides these, we are also improving our services via public input. For example, we are upgrading our bus services in terms of interval time and routes in all the six areas we cover in the Klang Valley starting with Cheras,” says Prasarana group managing director Datuk Idrose Mohamed,

“In terms of buses’ interval time, we try to improve the situation by looking at depot, drivers or road congestion problems.

“We also have to modify some routes that previously used two buses to reach the city centre to only one bus without increasing the fare,” he told StarBizweek during the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) Asia-Pacific Seminar last week.

Prasarana director of stakeholders management division V.Ravindran says different modes of transportation namely the LRT, monorail, express rail link, bus and KTM commuter, taxi, car, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian should integrate at conducive transit stations to promote the usage of public transportation. Prasarana is doing this for its Kelana Jaya and Ampang lines extension projects. [TRANSIT: They will do this in theory, but in practice?]

“Also, another important convenient feature that will be included in our LRT extensions is ride and park facilities. Our Kelana Jaya Line and Ampang Line extension will include 5,100 and 6,000 parking lots respectively,” he adds.

Among other comfort and convenience features are six covered walkways and pedestrian links to transit stations.

Minding that one of the main causes of traffic congestion stems from convergence of express buses in the city centre, the Government has also proposed integrated transport terminals (ITT) for express buses away from the city centre. [TRANSIT: But at the same time, RapidKL has increased the number of buses going into the city centre and cut back on most of the City Shuttle routes]

“Currently, there are three ITTs in the proposal that shall serve express buses going to and from the north, east and south of Peninsular Malaysia,” he says.

In terms ticketing system, while there is a common payment system across multi-modal public transport using Touch ‘n GO card, there is no integrated ticket system as yet. [TRANSIT: 6 years and counting and still no integrated ticketing system! We wonder why the Auditor General hasn't mentioned this yet.]

“Prasarana has initiated integrated ticketing system for its LRTs, buses and monorail but while awaiting the completion, integrated monthly passes (RapidPass) are made available,” he says.

To strengthen the company’s brandname in public transportation, Idrose says Prasarana with its two LRTs, Klang Valley buses under Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RAPID KL) and bus operation in Penang under Rapid Penang Sdn Bhd (Rapid Penang) will re-brand their integrated services under one single brand, RAPID. “We want the public to associate RAPID services with efficiency, comfort and reliability,” he says. [TRANSIT: And we want the brand RAPID to represent the Local Public Transport Councils of KL and Penang.]

On the findings of the recent National Audit Report that the company has incurred losses from 2005 to 2007 with accumulated losses as at Dec 31, 2007 were RM839.81mil, Idrose says, Prasarana is service-oriented rather than demand-based or profit-oriented organisation.

“We serve non-profitable routes and do not charge expensive fare but we make sure that our income at least covers our operational cost,” he says. [TRANSIT: Just because you are "service-oriented company" that does not give you carte blanch to spend money.]

TRANSIT Says:

Well there you have it. The future of public transport in Malaysia is in the hands of a government owned company that will compete with private operators and probably push them out of the market. All in the name of stability.

The saddest thing is that the public and wakil rakyat hardly question the work that Prasarana is doing. And people complain about Prasarana’s office in Bangsar but they say nothing about the cost of the proposed LRT lines.

Does RM7 billion sound like a large amount of money? How about RM411 million per kilometer? How about when we compare the projected cost of RM411 million /km compared to the price of constructing the LRT which was 150 million / km back in 1997.

We at TRANSIT have to ask an honest question – can we afford to spend RM15 billion (or RM411 million per km) to extend LRT lines to low-density suburbs?

Or would it be better to spend some of that RM 15 billion on another form of technology, that would give us rapid transit at a fraction of the cost?

We at TRANSIT do not see the value in spending RM411 million per km just to extend the LRT to meet with each other. Nor do we see the value in extending the LRT lines into suburban areas which are very low density.

Why build a train system capable of moving 30,000 passengers per direction, per hour, to a suburban area where there are few public transport users?

In some of my planning classes, we learned about doing environmental assessments and how often, transit agencies would have to consider every possible mode of transit before selecting what we called the “obvious choice”. In the real-world, it happened in Kitchener-Waterloo when they were conducting the EA for their new (now selected) LRT system; planners were forced to consider and research the viability of the Aerobus for the city. I don’t have to tell you how ludicrous that is. It became a running joke among planning students to suggest an Aerobus whenever transit projects were being considered.

Well, this morning I read a column in Eye Weekly discussing the future of Toronto transit. It began by making the dubious claim that the now-under-construction Spadina extension will “probably be the last subway we build”. Obviously, I disagree with that claim, but I digress. The author uses it as a launching pad into discussing alternative technologies to the soon-to-be-ubiquitous LRT– for no other reason other than they aren’t LRT.

The author focuses on Cable-Propelled Transit (CPT), or more commonly known as cable cars. That’s fine, I mean they have them in San Francisco, and a few other places, and I’m sure they are viable. But the leader of the CPT proponent brigade, Steven Dale, really rubbed me the wrong way when he went out to suggest that the SRT replacement is a perfect opportunity for CPT:

In Toronto, Dale says you could easily run either of these in the same lanes as streetcars, but the options are pretty much endless — and unexplored. For maximum efficiency, a dedicated line like the aging SRT is what he calls “the perfect environment to test this out.”

Anyone familiar with the SRT knows that it was a failed government experiment in new-ish transit technology. I’m beginning to think that SRT should be renamed to “The Line They Always Tinker With” (TLTATW), especially given the TTC’s early reticence to replace the ageing system with LRT.

The SRT is already isolated enough from the system, God forbid we end up with Scarborough Cable Propelled Rapid Transit (SCPRT, or as I like to call it, SCRAP IT).

TRANSIT thanks Rizal Hakim for the photos below, which show the new 4-carriage LRT train including photos of the interior.

4-carriage RapidKL train. Image courtesy of Rizal Hakim

A closer view of the no entry sign also shows RapidKL's newly modified logo. Image courtesy of Rizal Hakim

Red-coloured seats in the new 4-carriage trains. Image courtesy of Rizal Hakim

Blue-coloured seats in the new 4-carriage train. Image courtesy of Rizal Hakim

TRANSIT Says:

Once again, we thank Rizal Hakim for the photos above, and we express our enthusiasm to see and ride our new trains. It is now December and we have waited so long!