Improved rail system answer to traffic jams

NEWS that vehicle sales in Malaysia jumped almost 40% to 62,649 in February compared to same month last year must have been depressing for the many motorists who get caught in daily traffic.

Those who live in Seremban dread going to Kuala Lumpur even on weekends as the North-South Expressway is often gridlocked.

People miss weddings and funerals as they just cannot handle being stuck in traffic.

A friend who drives to Kuala Lumpur daily said that the journey that once took an hour now takes two-and-a-half hours.

Commuters like him are forced to leave work after 7pm to avoid the jam.

I remember the infamous Cheras Crawl of the 1980s when there were hardly any highways, elevated bridges, the KTM Komuter, LRT, MRT or monorail.

Since then, countless expressways, new roads and rail systems have been built in the Klang Valley, but the congestion has only worsened owing to the addition of more cars and buildings.

The answer no longer lies in constructing new expressways or roads as there is just no space left for this. Such endeavours take time and money.

Malaysia’s reasonably easy car ownership programme and a not-so-efficient public transport system contribute to this chaos.

While we need a vibrant automotive industry which contributes to the country’s coffers and provides jobs, drastic measures need to be taken to address the unending traffic jams.

Over the years, the authorities toyed with various proposals, including barring single-occupancy vehicles from entering the city, introducing a special-entry pass into the central business district and enforcing the “odd-even” system where vehicles with odd- and even-ending numbers are only allowed to enter the city on different days.

But none was found to be suitable.

We can learn from countries that have successfully tackled the issue of congestion.

Singapore, which introduced a “congestion-charge” system decades ago, charges motorists who drive into the city centre during peak hours.

With a super-efficient MRT and public bus network, there was no opposition to this system.

Singapore’s Intelligent Transport System (ITS) where hundreds of gadgets, cameras and sensors have been installed to collect data on traffic flow covering a 160km network, is also surely worth studying.

The ITS uses data analytics to monitor and manage traffic flow and help motorists make informed travel decisions.

The system also displays traffic messages and estimated travel time on the Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System electronic signboards along the expressways and major roads.

Motorists in the republic can also rely on the Traffic Message Channel which delivers real-time traffic information to motorists via mobile phones and portable navigation devices.

Apart from coming up with effective solutions providing real-time traffic updates, Malaysia needs to improve its rail transportation.

The frequency of the KTM Komuter from Seremban and Port Klang to Kuala Lumpur, especially during peak hours, must be reviewed.

At present, KTM Komuter has only one scheduled express service from Seremban daily.

Miss that and commuters will have to board the regular service, which averages a train every half an hour.

This is unacceptable since the Komuter also passes through major residential areas such as Senawang, Nilai, Bangi, Kajang and Bandar Tasik Selatan.

The authorities should also consider lowering the fare to encourage more people to ride the train.

This was done several years ago and was a huge success.

More ETS trains should also be operational during peak hours. Although this service which runs from Gemas to Padang Besar is popular, there are only two trains a day to KL with the first being at 9.10am and the next at 4.28pm.

Also, with the MRT lines now extended to Kajang and Putrajaya, plans must be made to take it further to Seremban.

With the Malaysian Automobile Association expecting car sales for March to be even higher than last month, authorities need to get moving to improve the rail system.

Otherwise, traffic congestion will continue to take its toll on citizens.