Better living: Smart mobility in cities can lead to better health and fewer deaths on the roads.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s car-centric roads are costing the country more than just traffic time, and experts are warning that poor shared-space planning is fuelling road deaths, ill health and environmental damage.
Assoc Prof Dr Zulkhairul Naim Sidek Ahmad of the Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty of Universiti Malaysia Sabah suggested smart mobility be applied in cities which will lead to better health and fewer fatalities on the roads.
“Smart mobility is the anatomy of a healthy city. Ninety per cent of global road deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries according to the World Health Organisation’s 2023 data,” he said at the Urban Mobility Technical Seminar held at Universiti Malaya here yesterday.
He said the country depended a lot on private cars and motorcycles.
“Shift from walk-in and cycling to car use increases obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
“Transport accounts for about 20% of Malaysian’s greenhouse gas emissions. Vehicle pollution causes about 15,000 premature deaths annually.
“Low-income groups frequently rely on motorcycles, overcrowded buses or walking under hazardous conditions,’ he added.
“Smart mobility should integrate inclusive design, digital systems and smart sensors with active mobility infrastructure as well as cleaner public transport fleets such as low emission buses,” said Dr Zulkhairul Naim.
Another road safety expert at the seminar, Linza Wells, questioned why roads are designed only for cars.
“One person dies every 30 seconds on the road. Cities need to do more than merely moving people and goods from one place to another,” said Wells.
Wells also called for dedicated transit lines and to make better use of under-utilised spaces for pedestrian connectivity such as under MRT lines and stations.
“Newly-built highways do not take into account pedestrians and dangerous pedestrian walkways to MRT stations.
“Cars have to learn to respect pedestrians. Private vehicles need to respect the bus lanes.
“As for the amount of space taken by vehicles on roads, mere promotion of EV vehicles does not help as they take up the same amount of space as normal cars. Engineers and planners need to consider local mobility vehicles in designing paved surface.
“Wide paved walkways and shaded trees make pedestrians not hesitant to walk. Local schools such as SK Danau Kota have marked and put demarcation for drop-off areas and bike areas,” said Wells.
Another expert, Kak D-Wing from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), said that there is more to be done before Malaysian cities are ready for public and industrial autonomous vehicles (AV).
“The concept has been talked about for decades but these vehicles are only now coming into reality with more automated vehicles being produced.
“We need the AV because we have reached traffic saturation crisis with the data in 2023 showing that there are 36.3 million registered vehicles for a population of 34.1 million people,” said Kak.
He said that public and shared mobility can be made more attractive by making transport more affordable, convenient, time competitive and safe.
“We can reduce 88% property damage claims and 92% body injury claims. Some of the bus stands are literally in the middle of the roads. At present, we do not have much option but choose to drive private vehicles,” said Kak.
He added that the weather and the unpredictable algorithm of road users such as motorcycles are among the current main challenges before introducing the AVs in the cities.
The event, co organised by the Japan-based International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences (IATSS) Forum and Universiti Malaya, was also attended by the First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Malaysia and IATSS Forum Japan national committee Malaysia chairman Datuk Zuraidah Atan.
