I had not been to Kuching for more than three years, until last week.
As the aircraft captain announced the plane’s descent, I quickly lifted the window shade. The morning sun shone brightly, allowing me to marvel at the sight of a resplendent Santubong hill bathed in glorious sunlight.
The aircraft then turned inwards, past the Bako National Park and towards the estuary of the Sarawak River. The mud flap separating the river from the deep blue sea on the outer side was clearly visible.
I was instantly reminded of the shallow approach vessels plying the Sarawak River must navigate to get to Kuching’s container port at Senari.
It was only yesterday that I consulted Kuching’s navigation chart – looking up the port approach, the location of pilot and tug stations, the various illustrations of the water depth as well as its tide tables – all in preparation for my next assignment.
Today, I am here, about to land at Kuching airport, which I frequented for many years until the pandemic struck.
I was taken by the fact that the road leading from the airport to the city has become even better and more efficient. I also noticed several new apartment blocks, hotels, malls and housing estates that had not been there before.
The beauty of a well-landscaped city lies in its garden concept, with roads at grade instead of elevated, and well-defined intersections and junction overpasses to ease traffic flow.
There were no bottlenecks, and no long queues of traffic had built up. Roads were also clearly marked with “left-in” and “left-out” entrances and exits.
That would be my physical description of the capital city of Sarawak.
Autonomous Road Tram
I am given to understand that Kuching will soon boast an autonomous road tram (or ART), which is presently under construction.
For most of its route from Petra Jaya to Serian, the ART will run at road level, except when it has to cross rivers and intersections.
Most ART stations will be at ground level, providing easy access to passengers, which will in turn encourage its usage.
Unlike the Klang Valley’s MRT and LRT, Kuching’s ART will not have row upon row of massive, unsightly columns right in front of nice-looking buildings or shopfronts.
Kuching is unlikely to end up like Jalan Tun Perak in KL, where beautiful heritage buildings have been obscured by large LRT columns with overbearing beams right outside their windows.
Several years ago, I did a study here on how to enhance local connectivity without an over-dependence on private transport.
It seems some of those study recommendations have been well accepted and incorporated into the ART project.
DBKS & DBKU
Much praise should go to the two city halls, Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Selatan (DBKS) and Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara (DBKU).
Both have been steadfast in their efforts to conserve the city’s many heritage buildings.
By blending conservation into city planning, including in matters of road design and construction standards, Kuching has the look of a European city.
Road dimensions and configurations, road architecture, utilities and finishing, are equally commendable, which make us wonder: Where did the cities and towns in Peninsular Malaysia go wrong?
Riverfront
No review of Kuching is complete without mentioning its showpiece, the riverfront.
The soul of the city lies here. Alive during the day, it is celebrated at night, boasting many trendy clubs, bars and cafes.
The riverfront must be the envy of most city planners.
With well-designed shops and boutique hotels sited along a pedestrianised stretch, Kuching’s riverfront has become both the city’s nerve centre and a must-see centrepiece for any visitor.
Tourists and visitors simply adore it. They are also able to stay in the many guesthouses located in the vicinity, with Chinatown on one side and Little India on the other.
High airfares
What surprises me, though, are the airfares for travel between KL and Kuching; they are not cheap.
In fact, airfares were so high during the recent Chinese New Year holidays that the government had to intervene to keep tickets affordable. Regrettably, that did not last very long.
Our national airline is supposed to take a national integration approach by offering pricing fares between Peninsula and East Malaysia reasonably. Instead, their fares have been the highest among local airlines.
These high airfares are not doing Kuching, or Sarawak, any favours.
Some long-term governmental intervention is needed to allow Kuching to advance as a tourist and investment destination.
Finally, I urge city and town planners from Peninsular Malaysia, especially Penang, to visit Kuching. They certainly can pick up a thing or two from this clean, vibrant and purring city. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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