Making Kota Kinabalu better

BEHIND the natural attractions of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, known as the Land Below the Wind, big problems lie masked and often overlooked in spite of having been highlighted many times.

Listed as Malaysia’s fifth busiest city, Kota Kinabalu is assumed to be clean, organised, disabled-friendly and, most importantly, safe.

This is far from the truth.

Just recently, two brazen robberies occurred in the city’s central business district where two women were beaten and robbed in broad daylight.

The suspects in both incidents, which took place in the backstreets of the popular Sunday market, were caught thanks to CCTV recordings.

However, many city areas are still not equipped with CCTV cameras, making it harder to catch criminals.

Increasing crime in a busy city also raises the need for increased police patrols.

There are at least two police stations operating within the city centre.

Safety is a priority of the city’s seventh mayor Datuk Seri Sabin Samitah who was appointed in January.

But are authorities and the various communities doing enough to keep the city safe?

A quiet view overlooking the sea at Kota Kinabalu city centre. Cleanliness is all in the mindset. — Filepic

People point to rising cost of living as a factor in the increasing crime rate, as jobs are harder to come by and businesses are still trying to make up for income lost during Covid-19 lockdowns.

Kota Kinabalu residents also worry about growing traffic congestion, an issue that has been highlighted for decades by local leaders as well as uncles and aunties like me.

It is true that all cities face traffic congestion, but this can be alleviated with a better public transport system.

Years back, shuttle buses were introduced in Kota Kinabalu city centre but this service was soon cancelled for unclear reasons.

The buses eased traffic flow and offered a comfortable option for city travellers.

Now, all we have are old-style buses and vans which are far from comfortable.

With so many private vehicles using city roads, parking spaces have become very limited, highlighting the need for more multi-storey carparks.

Currently, there is only one multi-storey carpark in the city while several others are being planned or already available outside the city in places such as Luyang Commercial Centre.

Those who manage to get parking spots in the city have to use parking coupons that have to be scratched to indicate the date and time parking began, with no easy way to top up parking hours or coupons.

A digitalised parking payment system is currently untenable due to unstable Internet connectivity that still plagues the city centre.

Limited parking space has also resulted in illegal parking which, in turn, hinders traffic flow and endangers pedestrians − especially those with disabilities − given that the city’s road designs and public amenities are not disabled-friendly.

Many people with disabilities have voiced this matter but not enough solutions have been put forward.

While some shopping centres have made their premises easy to navigate for wheelchair users, many public buildings remain inaccessible to the disabled.

Some have no wheelchair accessible entrances, forcing these folk to leave their wheelchairs outside buildings while trying to climb up stairs using their hands or having to depend on others to carry them up staircases.

Aside from the above issues, the biggest problem in Kota Kinabalu is rubbish.

Why is the city so full of trash − in alleyways, market areas and behind shoplots − when there are daily cleaning workers on duty?

Rubbish can also be seen floating in drains, the sea and near jetties frequented by visitors on their island tours.

Clearly, the mentality of all who visit and stay in the city needs to change for the better.

Without a cleanliness mentality, no number of clean-up workers can ensure the city stays clean and pretty.

Take home your rubbish if you must but do not make the streets and seas your dumping ground.

Enforcement is also vital as unfortunately, many are still not able to think and act in a civic manner.

Overall, I think Kota Kinabalu needs more parking spaces, better road designs and traffic control, stringent law enforcement, frequent police presence and most importantly, teamwork from all to make the city a better place.