Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CU)_ Former Transport Minister Anthony Loke has urged the ministry to take a more proactive approach to tackling Klang Valley traffic congestion. In reaction to a recent argument on traffic congestion between Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and Johor Democratic Action Party leader Liew Chin Tong, he agreed that the issue should be addressed collaboratively.
Loke also stated that it is irresponsible to assert that the ministry has nothing to do with traffic congestion. He said, “Of course, roads and highways are under the supervision of the Works Ministry, but to say that traffic congestion has nothing to do with the Transport Ministry is outright irresponsible”. He added, “Public transport is under the Transport Ministry and traffic congestion is partly due to our poor public transport system. This means the people have no choice but to drive their cars. So definitely, the Transport Ministry has a responsibility in terms of traffic congestion”.
Loke also encouraged the government to devise short-term and long-term remedies with the concerned ministries to alleviate the out-of-control traffic congestion caused by the increasing number of automobiles on the roads. He said, “We need coordinated efforts from all. We need a task force of ministries to handle short-term and long-term solutions. In the longer term, we hope public transport can be enhanced and a proper policy instituted to encourage people to use public transport. But I know it cannot be achieved overnight”.
Loke added, “The short term move calls for a multi-ministry task force that must be set up to look into traffic congestion, including (monitoring) construction sites and mobilizing traffic police and City Council traffic wardens to be stationed at major junctions throughout the city to ensure smooth traffic flow. We must look into the reliability of public transport. Lately, because of breakdowns in the MRT and LRT lines, many commuters had to use private means of transport.”
Law also proposed strengthening the usability of Kuala Lumpur’s bus lanes and enhancing the public transport shuttle service, while inviting the public to participate by utilizing Waze or Google Maps to plan their journey during peak hours. According to Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua, chief of the Universiti Putra Malaysia Road Safety Research Center, the government should focus on enhancing public transportation services and using intelligent traffic management technologies to improve traffic flow.
Additionally, he asked the operators of public transportation to maintain their vehicles clean so that more people would utilize their services. He said, “There are several suggestions for policymakers to deal with traffic jams. For instance, dynamic traffic light control systems adjust their timing based on current traffic conditions and employ a detector that can interact with the traffic light control system on current traffic conditions. When an intersection is congested, it would modify timing to improve traffic flow.”
