Kuching LRT: DAP says it may prove impractical
DAP highlights problems, including the lack of a transport blueprint, shortage of supporting transport services and LRT’s impracticality for long-distance travel.
Padungan DAP assemblyman Wong King Wei said he did not wish to dampen Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg’s enthusiasm for the LRT project but highlighted a number of practical concerns to the chief minister.
He said there were three concerns regarding the proposed LRT system — the lack of a public transport blueprint; the lack of support, such as buses and taxis to service the LRT stations; and the feasibility of using LRT for long-distance travel.
“Over the past 20 years, the state government has conducted at least three studies related to the issue of public transport in Sarawak, but with no concrete action or plan.
“Suddenly, the chief minister has announced the forthcoming construction of the LRT system,” Wong said.
Abang Johari had recently proposed to link the towns in southern Sarawak with a railway system. He said the state was also interested in adopting low or zero emission electric vehicles to connect Kuching, Serian and Samarahan.
Under the proposal, the chief minister expected the first LRT station to be completed by 2020.
Wong said there was no complete public transport blueprint guaranteeing that the proposed LRT system would complement the development of urban areas in the next three decades.
He said there were also other issues regarding land acquisition and noise pollution in residential neighbourhoods.
Comprehensive planning, including an LRT system blueprint and city development plans, was necessary for long-term planning, he added.
“Building an LRT system is different from planning bus routes due to its massive scale and high cost,” he said, pointing to Amsterdam’s 30-year transport blueprint as an example.
On his second point regarding support services, Wong said an LRT system could not operate in isolation.
“Effective public transport does not begin with having an LRT system. Instead, it should begin with the provision of public buses, the creation of bicycle lanes, the supply of taxis and so forth.
“Because the coverage of an LRT system is limited, a public transport system will only be effective if there are dependable bus services, sufficient parking lots, safe bicycle lanes , pedestrian walkways, and a reliable taxi network.”
He added that the LRT system was not made for long-distance travel, as its main function is to solve problems related to traffic and parking in congested city areas.
“I have not known of any city in the world that starts to solve its public transport problem by building an LRT system.
“In fact, there is no known city that is successful in solving its transportation challenges by building an LRT system,” Wong said.
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