Idris Jala is wrong: MRT is not the only solution for Klang Valley

LETTER With all due respect to YB Datuk Seri Idris Jala, he is wrong is stating that MRT is the only thing that will prevent Klang Valley from choking up by 2020. Traffic congestion stems from the high usage of private cars, especially single occupancy vehicles.

While the proposed Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) MRT is bound to take some private cars off the roads of Klang Valley, this is not the direct answer or remedy to the fact that more and more private cars are coming into our road system every day.

What is very important is having a reliable public transport network, that enables all citizens from in the Klang Valley to be able to move around from one end to another solely on public transport, regardless of bus or MRT.

Today, this is lacking, and we need to see the government and Pemandu address this lack of a complete network.

Don't neglect buses

The SBK line will not even cover 20% of the Klang Valley population, so, at this rate, many who may be staying along this transport corridor may still have to resort to using private vehicles to get to their destinations.

Since the government is not in a financial position to roll out MRT lines all over the Klang Valley (similar to New York's subway), the government needs to concede the importance of buses in building and achieving the network.

Both highly dense Singapore & Hong Kong today record higher bus ridership than MRT ridership, showing the importance of bus networks.

Rajiv Rishyakaran is the Advisor for The Association For The Improvement Of Mass Transit’ (TRANSIT)