Conduct study on how pedestrian walkway can reduce traffic, says expert
Studies should be done on how much traffic can be reduced if a pedestrian walkway is built on the Malaysian side of the Causeway.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Centre for Innovative Planning and Development director Associate Professor Dr Muhammad Zaly Shah Muhammad Hussein, said the number of people who could potentially switch to walking to cross the Causeway should be known.
“We need to find out first, what will be the diversion rate of pedestrians when this covered walkway is built? How many will use it, and which times of the day or week will they use it?”
He said the behaviour of pedestrians who opt to walk along the Causeway should be known as well.
“Most people who walk to cross the Causeway are costconscious and ablebodied.
“We can have all the solutions available, but if we do not understand the behaviour of these users, it will be of no use.”
Out of the 300,000 who use the Causeway daily, between 100,000 and 150,000 choose to cross the link on foot.
Zaly said feasibility studies needed to be conducted before any facility was built at the Causeway. He said the walkway should be integrated with other facilities at the Causeway.
He said a recommendation to widen and lengthen the Causeway would lead to a bigger demand for parking space for heavy vehicles and for space for people waiting for clearance at the checkpoint.
“We do not want an increase in distance to create a bigger demand for parking space for lorries. If this is not settled, you will have more people arriving early, queuing up and parking along the route. We must avoid this by considering the service rate and rate of departure.
“What happens at the Johor Causeway is no different than what happens at banks and supermarkets during pay day. When only two out of 10 counters are opened, it will be packed. It might be due to incompetent counter staff or mismanagement.”
He said the large number of lorries plying the Causeway was due to the fact that many manufacturers preferred to export their goods through Singapore, instead of using the two big ports in southern Johor.
“Why do manufacturers export goods via Singapore? It’s cheaper and there’s better turnaround time at the port over there. That's why ports such as PTP (Port of Tanjung Pelepas) need to fight to attract more investors to Malaysian ports.”
He said policymakers should consult with the Federation of Malaysian Freight Forwarders, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Malaysia and lorry associations to solve the issue.
“These people are on the road daily. Suggestions need not come from people with degrees as, sometimes, it just involves logic.”
He said another recommendation to build a passageway for vessels at the Causeway was possible in terms of technology, but hoped it would be done successfully.
He said issues affecting the Causeway involved matters relating to transportation and the environment, and plans such as a third link between Johor and Singapore needed to be expedited to alleviate the congestion at the Causeway and Second Link.
“The advent of industries and development taking place along the Straits of Johor have affected the environment, and the Causeway has become an obstruction in the effort to improve water quality in the straits.
“The recent cases of dead fish washed ashore in Pantai Lido are signs that something is not right.
“We need to do something about the Johor Causeway by either improving or limiting its use. In some countries, a century-old structure is made into a heritage or tourist attraction. The Johor Causeway has served its purpose. It may not be able to go to the future,” he told the
Zaly urged the federal and state governments to include academicians in the feasibility studies for Causeway upgrades because they had the expertise and they were neutral in their views.