LET’S MOBILISE THE POLICE AND THE ARMY TO SOLVE TRAFFIC WOES IN KL….THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO IN OTHER JAMMED ASIAN CITIES…

LET’S MOBILISE THE POLICE AND THE ARMY TO SOLVE TRAFFIC WOES IN KL….THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO IN OTHER JAMMED ASIAN CITIES…

Saturday July 30, 2011

It’s possible to solve traffic woes

VALLEY VIEW by FAZLENE AZIZ

ALMOST everyone has experienced being stuck in a jam while driving in Kuala Lumpur only to find out that most of the time it is due to indiscriminate parking by irresponsible people.

The parking in the Klang Valley has become a nightmare as motorists spend hours searching for a space only to find one that charges a bomb.

This results in many people parking by the roadside because their errands will only take a few minutes but in reality it takes a lot longer.

Busy road: Congestion in Brickfields due to doubleparked vehicles.

Some of the areas known for its parking woes are Brickfields, Jalan Raja Chulan, Leboh Ampang, Jalan Ipoh, KLCC, Bukit Bintang, Masjid India and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

Most people will just park their cars by the road in front of the “no parking” or towing zones for two reasons — one they do not want to pay for parking and the other is due to the lack of parking space.

If you drive along Jalan Raja Chulan, especially near Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, you can see a stretch of luxury cars parked by the road, contributing to the already congested situation.

It makes one wonder if someone can afford to buy a car worth RM500,000, paying for parking inside the Pavilion car park should not be a problem but yet that is not the case.

The reason for this is just our “tidak apa” attitude. However, the same people, who indiscriminately park here would not commit the same thing if they are driving in Singapore.

The reason is there is no such tolerance in Singapore and the law is the law and no one is above it.

In Brickfields, it has reached a state where people are not bothered about the congestion they are causing.

During a recent meeting, Rukun Tetangga Brickfields B chairman S.K.K Naidu mentioned how people from outside commuting via KL Sentral were taking up parking spaces in the residential area.

He had said that most of them blocked the roads and caused inconvenience to residents. The reason is they are not willing to pay for parking.

The problem will get worse when the MRT is up and running and not all the stations have parking facilities. This will lead to future confrontation between commuters and residents over parking issues.

The government should look into this foreseeable problem and find solutions before it gets worse.

The LRT lines are a clear example of what can be expected in terms of parking woes in the future.

Therefore, ample parking spaces should be allocated to allow people to park and ride.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall has said there are ample parking spaces in and around the city but people are just not willing to adhere to the rules.

Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan also concurred that there were ample parking spaces available but most of the time people were just not keen to park and walk to their destinations.

He said perhaps the government should look into standardising the parking rates in the city.

The rates are inconsistent and people are not willing to fork out a lot of money for the space.

Saravanan had said there was a need to study the matter to ensure that the rates were affordable.

However, he added that better enforcement should also help address the indiscriminate parking in the city.

The mere presence of an enforcement officer in Brickfields has brought about a difference but there should also be civic-consciousness among the public.

It all boils down to our inefficient public transport system and the volume of cars on the road that is a major contributor to the traffic congestion.

An average household has three cars because many people feel it is better to drive than use the bus or the train, which are deemed unreliable.

In order to reduce our traffic woes, the public transport system has to work efficiently so that more people will use it and reduce the number of cars on the road.

Even if our public transportation system is improved, we should also change our attitude or the Greater KL that is being promoted will just be a myth for the government and the public.
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