Comment: LRT « SJ Echo

Wednesday, 30 January 2008

Comment: LRT

I was one of the residents of Subang Jaya who attended the January 6 briefing on the Selangor 2020 structural plan and draft local plan.

The briefing was organised by Subang Jaya ADUN Dato’ Lee Hwa Beng. Also present were MPSJ and state government officers and Kelana Jaya MP Loh Seng Kok. I was also happy to see that many residents of Subang Jaya and USJ were present to give their feedback on the plans.

At the briefing, I raised my concerns over the plan for the Kelana Jaya LRT extension to Subang Jaya and USJ. I had already expressed my belief that the government should consider alternatives to the extension of the Kelana Jaya LRT, which uses a costly technology only available from a single company.
I also raised my concern over the map of the proposed routes as they were very confusing. The map did not show the proposed LRT line from Kelana Jaya to USJ and Subang Jaya. There was only a "laluan rel" from Subang Jaya KTM station extending through Subang Jaya, USJ and Putra Heights. The map appeared to show that the Kelana Jaya LRT was to be extended to Shah Alam and Klang.

Perhaps this confusion exists because the Selangor Government and the Federal Government are not on the same page when it comes to public transportation? Perhaps the Selangor Government wants to extend the LRT to Shah Alam and Klang instead of Subang Jaya and USJ? It is very important for the Federal Government and State Governments to sit down together when planning public transportation. The confusion and lack of information from this briefing makes this even clearer. It is important that Prasarana (the company entrusted to build the lines) confirms the proposed route and alternative routes as soon as possible.
The residents of Subang Jaya have the right to know if the LRT will come to Subang Jaya and USJ and where the LRT will go when it is finally built. The routing of the proposed "laluan rel" through residential neighbourhoods of SS 14, SS 17, and SS 18 in Subang Jaya is one example. The residents of these areas were likely very surprised when they saw that the proposed "laluan rel" would be running along/above Jalan Jengka and the SS 14 monorail train. Much of Subang Jaya is still a suburban community and the presence of the elevated LRT would have a negative impact on the lifestyle of many Subang Jaya residents.

The proposal to run the USJ portion of the "laluan rel" through the industrial areas of USJ 1 and USJ 7 raises another set of concerns. Dato’ Lee pointed out that this was the only way to please residents. However, running public transport through industrial areas will reduce the number of potential passengers. The LRT will be far away from the majority of USJ residents. This will make driving to the LRT station necessary and do nothing to reduce the traffic along roads in Subang Jaya and USJ.

Then, we must consider that even if the LRT is extended to Subang Jaya and USJ and they managed to find a way to satisfy the residents, there is still another problem. The maximum capacity of the Kelana Jaya line trains is 260 passengers (2-carriage) or 520 passengers (4-carriage). The Kelana Jaya line is currently 40% over capacity. This means that there simply is not enough room for any more passengers during peak hours, even with the 4-carriage trains.

Extending the Kelana Jaya LRT line to Subang Jaya and USJ (or Shah Alam and Klang) will mean less room for passengers from Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. It will still be necessary to expand the KTM Komuter service. Dato’ Lee and Loh should devote some of their attention to improving the KTM Komuter service, especially since Subang Jaya is a major station in the Komuter line.

Fortunately, there are some positive notes. Firstly, the Seri Petaling LRT will be extended to Puchong Jaya and then extended further into USJ, which will improve LRT service in both communities. Secondly and more importantly, there is a proposed "laluan transit" running from KL to Puchong, following Jalan Klang Lama and Jalan Puchong. This proposed "laluan transit" will open up access to Kuala Lumpur from the south. It will give more residents the option of using public transportation and fill in a major gap in the public transport network in the Klang Valley.

Moaz Yusuf Ahmad
Subang Jaya, Selangor