Kuala Lumpur to make some streets #carfree once a month

New Straits Times: "KUALA LUMPUR: CITY folk welcome the "Go Green Car Free Morning" programme announced by  City Hall recently.
In the proposal, a 6km loop, starting from Jalan Dang Wangi to the Golden Triangle area via Jalan Ampang, Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Imbi, Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, will be closed to motorised traffic between 7.30am and 9.30am every first Sunday of the month."

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‘Congestion-Free Jakarta by 2030’

The Jakarta Globe: "The Jakarta administration pledged to make public transport the most used form of transportation in the city by 2030."

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Malaysia: Works minister proposes free buses to solve congestion

Building more highways will not address the issue of traffic congestion. Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily

Free bus vouchers to beat the jam | My Sinchew: ""Instead of giving fuel subsidies, we feel that we should offer free bus vouchers or discount cards to benefit the rakyat. The government is currently studying the feasibility of these measures while consulting the views of professionals. If public feedback is good, the government may implement these measures in the future.""

Large rail projects can be divisive, premature.

Rail projects should follow demand, not lead. Make buses free, and it will become obvious where to put rail.

‘Bullet train not economically viable’ | Free Malaysia Today: "PETALING JAYA: The government’s high speed rail link project between Malaysia and Singapore is not economically viable, Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Risyhakaran said today."

[Indonesia] Public transportation plan gains momentum

The Jakarta Post: "Wahyu said such a policy would not only help ease Jakarta’s traffic problems but also encourage officials and civil servants to set a good example to residents and express solidarity with those using public transportation, including Transjakarta and public minivans.

“City officials should not only speak about public transportation in the city being safe and comfortable. They should at least once a week take Transjakarta to their offices,” he said as quoted by tribunnews.com."

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Reclaiming our streets: Towards sustainable transport

The Malay Mail Online: "The government should invest to build up the public transport system and then use education, zoning regulations and price mechanisms to discourage private transport and decongest our roads and cities.

The development of the public transport system should be financed by the government as this would ensure it is affordable.

The public transport system should be disabled-friendly as well as senior citizen-friendly.

The public transport system should be run as democratic non-profit trusts on a regional basis, with the participation of elected members of the local communities, transport workers and local government.

A bus-based public transport system should be improved and promoted as it is much cheaper and faster to implement than MRTs.

The discouraging of private cars and the creation of a network of dedicated bus lanes in our cities should be a key strategy of the transport plan for our country.

Peoples’ participation in determining the future of public transport in Malaysia should be encouraged."

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The Malaysia that could have been

Free Malaysia Today: "Fallacy number 3: An impression of ease in transit in and around our capital city. If ever there was a plague in the Klang Valley, I would call it the “caronic plague,” in which the non-ownership of a car or personal mode of transport can be deemed handicapping or even paralyzing, depending on where one lives. As a non-owner of a car myself, and as such as a frequent rider of public transport, I can vouch with certainty how primitive our public transport system is compared to the other world-class cities I’ve lived in before.
Yes, buses can be delayed due to the rampant traffic jams in and around our capital, but if they were efficient and passenger-friendly to begin with, why the increasing need for cars and thus jams in the first place? And yes, the lack of proper route maps in every bus stop, vicinity maps in every railway station and visible signboards along every street serve even to confuse me whenever I venture out into a new area in the Klang Valley, all the more foreigners."

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Access to efficient public transport boosts tourism in Kuala Lumpur

My Sinchew: "Access to efficient public transportation such as the Light Rail Transit (LRT) trains, buses and taxis leading to shopping malls helps to boost tourism."

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