Walkway must be supported by efficient transport system
JOHOR BARU: The pedestrian bridge connecting the Bukit Chagar Rapid Transit System (RTS) station with KTM Bhd’s Johor Baru station is a welcome move, but more needs to be done to ensure seamless connectivity, say groups.
Malaysian Public Transport Users Association (4PAM) president Ajit Singh Johl lauded the proposed RM60mil walkway, but stressed that attention should also be given to ensuring the safety, comfort and accessibility of public transport users.
“We fully support government initiatives to improve public transport, but they must ensure that the safety, protection and rights of public transport users are never compromised.
“The walkway should be wide enough for commuters to use comfortably and provide adequate protection from the rain and heat.
“The design should also take into account the needs of senior citizens and persons with disabilities, including wheelchair users and the visually impaired,” he said, adding that he hoped more details about the project would be made available to the public soon.
Ajit said Malaysia could also learn from Singapore, where pedestrian facilities were well integrated with its public transport network.
Johor Tourist Guides Association chairman Jimmy Leong welcomed the move, noting that similar pedestrian walkways have been used in major cities such as Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to allow people to move between key locations without crossing busy roads.
“This is a good initiative, and it is one of the common solutions currently used in other cities to disperse crowds from the main point.
“The priority is to move people away from the main point. From there, they can take whichever mode of public transport they need to get to their destination,” he said.
However, Leong said the walkway would still need to be supported by an efficient and comprehensive public transport system to ensure commuters could continue their journeys smoothly.
“It has to be supported by an efficient system to disperse the crowd and traffic outside the city area,” he said.
Meanwhile, Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association (Perusim) secretary Hussien Ibrahim said the proposed pedestrian walkway was a good start.
“However, it is definitely not enough as congestion in the city area is already at a critical point and more must be done to address it in the long run,” he said.
During a visit to the Johor Baru-Singapore RTS Link site on Tuesday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that a pedestrian bridge costing RM60mil would be built to connect the Bukit Chagar RTS station directly with KTM Bhd’s Johor Baru station.
The RTS Link is a 4km railway shuttle link with two stations, located at Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru and Woodlands North in Singapore.
The link is designed to accommodate up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, with an anticipated daily ridership of about 40,000 passengers when operations begin on Jan 1.
