Public transport is cool in a lot of ways

IN his keynote address at the Land Public Transport Symposium organised by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) on Oct 23, Prime Minister Datuk

Seri Najib Tun Razak said: “The outcome and reception of the MRT has been tremendous. In fact, a friend said to me now it’s considered cool to wear a suit and to travel around the city in the MRT... this is something that I can be proud to say.”

Using stage buses and metered taxis was never cool in the days when it was a hassle to use them. But with the worsening traffic congestion, popularity of public transport like the LRT/MRT has increased in Klang Valley.

The opening of the LRT station in Putra Heights on June 30 last year was a major milestone as commuters there could travel the Kelana Jaya or Sri Petaling/Ampang line.

On July 17, the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang line was launched and many took advantage of the free ride that day, and also the 50% discount given until Aug 31 for the MRT, LRT and Monorail. The promotion worked as many people who had not taken trains within the Klang Valley did so for the first time, thanks also to the 300 feeder buses that were in service.

Using public transport is a matter of getting used to. Some conscious efforts may be required initially but it will soon become second nature.

For most commuters, it makes little sense driving to work especially when train services are available. Driving would subject the car to wear and tear, but what is less obvious is the stress associated with being on the road, espe- cially congested ones, which could cause ill health to the driver.

For those who are overly dependent on their cars, the period while the vehicle is undergoing repairs in the workshop would make them feel as if they are without legs.

In developed countries, it is normal for office workers and senior executives in full suits to travel using public transport, but many motorists driving to work would feel embarrassed in Malaysia, thinking it is not “cool”.

Even fresh graduates who have just started working feel that having a car is their top priority, but these young adults do not realise they are old school when it comes to public transport – at least in the Klang Valley, that is.

In major cities around the world, a car ranks low in determining the quality of life. Shockingly, 84% of households in Malaysia own cars, which is the third highest in the world, higher than Germany and South Korea (83%), Japan (81%) or Britain (74%).

Clearly, high ownership of cars does not equate to higher quality of life. In fact, the reverse is true as the value of cars deprecate rapidly, whereas house prices appreciate over time.

For example, double-storey link houses bought for around RM25,000 in the early ‘70s can now fetch more than RM1mil in choice locations, whereas a few hundred thousand ringgit spent on new cars over the past decades would have gone with the wind.

In the current heatwave, the most comfortable place has to be inside an LRT or MRT train (pic). The air-conditioning in these coaches is superb.

But on the whole, the rakyat welcomes the revival of trains as the backbone of passenger transport. The proposed 300kph High Speed Rail from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore and the 160kph East Coast Rail Link from Gombak to Kota Baru are eagerly awaited by many Malaysians, particularly those living near the lines.

It is also a great way to spread the population, instead of turning Kuala Lumpur into a megacity that would bring mega problems.

Whether it is intra-city or intercity travel, trains are the way to go and we must remain on track.

YS CHAN Kuala Lumpur