Accessibility of public transport, longer commute time to blame
KUALA LUMPUR: Accessibility issues and longer commute using public transport, as well as personal commitments, were among the reasons cited by Malaysians for driving alone.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) senior lecturer in transportation engineering Dr Nur Sabahiah Abdul Sukor said Malaysians would choose public transport if it was more accessible.
“There are also many who want to shift to public transport but the travel time is longer than using their own car or motorcycle.
“Another problem with public transport is the connectivity for the first and last miles,” she told the New Straits Times.
On carpooling, Dr Sabahiah believes that most drivers also had other commitments before heading to work or home.
“Those who do not accept the carpooling may have other commitments than just commuting to and from the workplace, such as sending their children off to school or getting groceries.
“Carpooling may be suitable for those who work at the same office but it is still not popular. It could be promoted by the organisation to their employees.
“Malaysians would likely choose public transport if the system is up to the acceptable level or even e-hailing services compared to carpooling,” she said.
USM School of Civil Engineering (Transport) Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah said commuters who decided to travel using their own vehicles took into account their perceived generalised cost of travel.
“If using their own vehicle gives the best estimated cost of travel over any other alternative, they will use their own vehicle.
“The cost of travel comprises measurable items like money and time. Also the intangible costs like comfort, convenience, safety and security.
“In the Klang Valley, where perhaps the average income is relatively higher among vehicle owners, the intangible costs become more important.”
Ahmad Farhan said to overcome traffic congestion in major highways, the authorities could impose charges on those entering the cities.
“So the only way to change this behaviour is to increase the cost of travel to a point that will make it no longer affordable.
“Many cities have used congestion charges, high parking rates and difficulty to find parking space to achieve this. Enforcement must also be strict, especially on parking offences,” he said.
However, Ahmad Farhan said this approach was tenable if the public transport system was accessible and affordable to the majority of commuters and offered excellent last mile service.
He said it depended on what city authorities want for their city, a sustainable transport system or a non-sustainable one that would bring problems and issues.
Traffic engineering specialist Dr Law Teik Hua said the government should focus on developing the accessibility of the public transport sector.
He said many drivers were committed to paying their car loan instalments, which led them to continue using their vehicles.
“The people are so used to using their vehicles partly because our public transport is not attractive.
“In the last 30 years, the government’s policy was to encourage or improve the private sector but not the public transport.
“So we must find ways to improve our public transport,” he said.