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Sunday, April 26, 2015

City Hall proposes tram system in KL to solve traffic congestion

Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib says the proposal for a tram system in the city has been submitted to the Federal Territories Ministry. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, April 26, 2015.Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib says the proposal for a tram system in the city has been submitted to the Federal Territories Ministry. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, April 26, 2015.
A tram may be trundling down the streets of Kuala Lumpur in the not too distant future if plans by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall are approved.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib told the New Straits Times (NST) that the council had submitted proposals to the government to build a tram system within the city limits.
The tram system, similar to those found in developed countries, will ply inner city routes, the NST report said.
The tram system is part of City Hall's efforts to find solutions to the daily traffic congestion plaguing the city.
Currently, between 1.5 million and 2 million vehicles enter the city on a daily basis, the NST reported.
Phesal said the congestion put a tremendous strain on the roads leading to and from the city.
Apart from the proposed tram system, City Hall is also looking at the possibility of implementing the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, similar to the one used in Singapore, the NST reported.
The ERP is an electronic toll system aimed at discouraging motorists from the driving into the city through road user charges.
"However, a good public transportation system must already be in place (before the ERP is introduced).
"If we introduce the move prematurely, it will cause a negative effect," Phesal said.
Other initiatives to reduce traffic congestion in the city include the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) which is 60% complete and scheduled for completion by next year for the Sungai Buloh to Jalan Semantan phase, and by July 2017 for the Jalan Semantan to Kajang phase, the NST reported.
Another initiative is the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which comprises three phases and will be 34km long, the report said.
It will start at Pasar Seni and extend to Klang. With an estimated cost of RM1 billion, the system will feature a dedicated bus lane in the middle of the Federal Highway.
Phesal said once the initiatives were in place, the ERP could then be introduced.
Other environmentally friendly alternatives have also been introduced. Recently, City Hall unveiled the first 5.5km dedicated bicycle lane at a cost of RM700,000 from Mid Valley to Dataran Merdeka.
City Hall Urban Transportation Department director Dr Leong Siew Mun told The Malaysian Insider that plans were underway to connect cyclists around the city.
The council plans to have bicycle lanes in Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Bukit Bintang, Central Market, Jalan P. Ramlee and around the KLCC area.
Leong had said that the city council was in the midst of modifying the lanes from Jalan Raja Laut in front of City Hall's headquarters to Jalan Ipoh and which will then connect to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Rahmat.
"Our contractors will soon be modifying the existing footpaths to include the bicycle lanes, which has been done in many countries.
“The new bicycle lanes will be connected all the way from Mid Valley to central areas in the city and it will be shared with the pedestrians," Leong had said.
- TMI

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