Ideas to further improve public transportation — Ng Ming Yang

OCTOBER 18 — 2016 is turning out to be an exciting year for commuters. The launch of the new Kelana Jaya Line LRT extension last June 30 heralded a new dawn for rail public transport in Klang Valley.

The extension connects the Kelana Jaya line to the extended Sri Petaling line via an interchange station at Putra Heights.

Commuters can also look forward to Phase 1 of MRT Sungai Buloh — Kajang line, running from Sungai Buloh to Semantan, which will be operational by the end of 2016. There was also recent news of an Integrated Common Payment System (ICPS) aiming to unify public travel using a single smartcard.

However, that is not all. More projects are planned for the future, such as LRT3, Klang Valley Double Track project and MRT Line 2. It is hoped that these projects will be able to increase the use of public transport, in line with the 11th Malaysia Plan to achieve 40per cent public transport modal share in Klang Valley by 2020.

Current Issues

While it is good news that urban public transport development has intensified since 2010, there are several issues that have to be ironed out if we are serious in encouraging more people to use public transport.

1. First-mile problem

The main problem, known as the “first-mile problem”, happens before the commuter even reaches the train station. The commuter would like to take the train to his destination, but is unable to do so because he has trouble reaching the train station. Potential reasons for this include erratic timing of buses and a long distance to the nearest train station. Buses do not follow a fixed schedule, making it difficult for commuters to plan their journey.  

2. Signage designs across different services

At train stations, there is a lack of uniformity in signage designs. This could be attributed to the different owners of rail public transport. For example, the Sri Petaling LRT and Kelana Jaya LRT lines are owned by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad while KTM Komuter is owned by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad. Commuters will encounter vastly different design schemes in signage for both companies. This may lead to confusion when commuters switch from one service to another to reach a destination, especially tourists as they are unfamiliar with the system and they face a language barrier.

Policy Recommendations

1. Relevant Methods

The most pressing problem is connectivity from home to train stations and train stations to workplaces. Therefore, an efficient bus system is needed to ferry people from residential zones to commercial zones and train stations. To achieve this, the Land Public Transport Authority (SPAD) should encourage the local authorities (such as DBKL and MBPJ) to devise bus routes with bus operators and any other relevant methods tailored to local needs. For example, provisions can be made for bicycle lanes to be built at roads with less traffic to encourage cycling to the nearest station. During peak hours, buses will operate on an increased frequency to reduce wait time and overcrowding.

2. Design and Fare Integration

Next, SPAD should not just aim for physical integration, but also design integration. This can be achieved by having an umbrella body that only serves to coordinate the signage designs to ensure a seamless experience for commuters from one service to another. For example, all transport systems in Greater London, England managed by Transport for London (TfL) have the same design scheme of the roundel logo, but with different colours and letterings. If this is emulated, it will create a sense of familiarity between vastly different networks such as KTM Komuter and Prasarana’s rails. Maps can also be updated to reflect the connectivity between different services clearly. As for fare integration, KTM Komuter already has plans for fare integration with LRT, MRT and KL Monorail by 2017, which is a commendable effort.

3. Discounts for off-peak travel

As for the issue of overcrowding which is the norm during peak hours, the service operators can offer commuters an incentive to travel during off-peak hours. The aim is to spread out the crowd over a longer period of time. The morning peak hour overcrowding can be alleviated by giving discounts to those who exit in the morning before 7.45 am and those travelling after 9.00 am The same concept can be applied for the evening crowd. There is a catch, however. This solution is only a short-term one because the number of commuters will only increase in the coming years.

4. Expanding capacity

A potential long term solution to overcrowding is to expand the capacity of the existing and upcoming services. There are two ways to achieve this. First, there should be a study conducted to look into the feasibility of using double-decker trains on existing railways. This is recommended because it doubles the capacity without any major change in infrastructure. Second, any upcoming projects should have provisions for longer platforms. For example, if a service is slated to launch with four-car trains, the platform should be able to accommodate six-car trains. This allows the service to expand in the future without any infrastructure problems.

Conclusion

It is hoped that by implementing these policies, the standards of rail public transport in Malaysia will improve. Ambitious and grand projects always look good on paper, but we should not forget that it is also the little things that contribute to making these projects successful in practise. Infrastructure is important, but so are things like possibility of future expansion, fare integration and signage designs.

* Ng Ming Yang is an Intern at the Centre for Public Policy Studies.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.