Friday 6 October 2017

Ong being silly for attacking public transport system (updated)

(Updates at the bottom of the post)

I think I wrote quite a bit in the past about BN's not so clever strategy to win the hearts and mind of the people.

So this time, let me tell you how the Pakatan people can be not so clever either on that one.

I read this story just now and think that they got it wrong attacking efforts to improve the public transport system,

Public transport ridership falling, despite the billions spent 


It's by DAP's Serdang MP Ong Kian Meng

excerpts;

"despite the billions of ringgit poured into these large public transportation rail projects, the overall ridership for the LRT, KL Monorail and KTM Komuter has not increased significantly over the past two years.

As the figures below will show, Najib’s administration should be ashamed that it has spent so much money on these projects with so little apparent benefit to the rakyat."


For me, it's silly of Ong to attack the government for spending money to improve the public transportation system.

It doesn't matter what the statistics at the moment indicate.

No matter what line of his argument is, the government's initiative on public transport is an issue which the opposition should not have argued.

It makes them look silly.

It's very much like in the 1980s when Lim Kit Siang attacked Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when the then prime minister initiated the privatisation of the North-South Expressway project. 

Just imagine if Kit Siang had managed to stop Dr Mahathir from doing that one.

If he had his way then - government, rather than private sector fund the project - we would still be travelling on the old trunk road, crawling for hours just to get to nearby places.

Well, even with the highways we still got stuck in jams during festive seasons. Without them, it would be worse.

Even Kit Siang's son Guan Eng, the weird looking Penang chief minister is now all for privatisation of such endeavours, paying quite hefty sums to consultants just to study his tunnel project and others. 

Ong should bear all that in mind before he attacked the current improvement of the public transport system. 

Ten or 20 years from now we would likely be unable to imagine how life would be if we still don't have things such as the MRT.

I really don't understand why Ong, supposedly being a smart guy that the Pakatan people said he is, tried to harp on this issue which I think will only make the opposition look ridiculous.

Opposing for the sake of opposing, that's what many would say.

People love the MRT, okay.

Even Dr Mahathir and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah took a ride on it.



It's as good as those in Tokyo and Singapore.

I believe it's the way forward for Malaysia to be a fully developed country.

We can't be developed if we continue to get stuck in traffic jam in downtown KL.

In fact, these improvements should have been done a long time ago.

Really, this is one issue which the opposition can do better by keeping quite as opposing it will only turn off people.

On Ong's insistence that people are not taking public transport despite the initiative to improve it, he should know that most public transportation projects requires a certain gestation period to be fully utilised. 

A friend who is a bit of an expert on this told me that there must be a buy-in process from the public for it and therefore the operators need to first come up with a lot of campaigns to encourage the public to leave their cars at home and use the public transport system.

This take a bit of time, and we should give it that time.

My friend said as an MP, Ong should offer himself to help the operators with their campaigns so that more commuters from Serdang use the public transport system.

"Admittedly, Ong is right when he said efficiency and affordability are issues which needed to be overcome. But that will eventually come if the system has reach critical mass of ridership," he said.

I have to agree with my friend that it doesn't help if people like Ong continously derides the operators rather that lending a hand to promote the use of public transport. 

UPDATES

Someone sent me this last night,

MEDIA STATEMENT
GOVERNMENT’S INITIATIVE ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT RESULTS IN INCREASED RIDERSHIP

Since 2010, the Government invested heavily in improving public transport infrastructure under the Urban Public Transport (UPT) NKRA. 

The modal share of public transportation within the Greater KL/Klang Valley in 2010, was only at 10%. 

Guided by the National Land Public Transport Master Plan (NLPTMP) established in 2013, we have set ambitious goals to achieve a modal share target of 40% for land public transport in urban areas by 2030. 

With concerted effort, in 2015, the modal share had grown to 20%, marking a significant progress.

In 2015, an urban rail fare review exercise was undertaken as it had not been reviewed over the past 19 years. 

The immediate impact was a decline of 9% in ridership in 2016, however this normalised with a significant pick up of 12% in ridership in 2017 i.e from 570,021 to 638,605. 

This numbers does not include the MRT Line ridership. 

The full opening of the MRT Line 1 alone, recorded a daily ridership of 101,024. 

Daily Ridership for Urban Rail on upward Trend: 2016 vs 2017 (Pax/Daily)


The LRT Kelana Jaya Line led the growth, with an increase of 26% or 271,250 daily ridership for the said period in 2017 compared to 215,855 in 2016. 

Adding to this growth was the LRT Ampang Line which recorded an increase of 14% which translated to 184,931 daily ridership in 2017.

The KTM Komuter services has suffered a dip in ridership in 2017 due to the Klang Valley Double Track (KVDT) rehabilitation project, which saw the frequency impacted. 

This reduced the average daily ridership by 5% to 103,074 in 2017 compared to 108,023 in 2016. 

However, we expect ridership to stabilise and pick-up once the KVDT rehabilitation work which covers the upgrading of track and signaling systems is completed in 2019 to modernize the 42km KTM Komuter network.

In the case of the KL Monorail ridership, the numbers have also hit a downtrend in 2017 with a reduction of 11% compared to 2016 bringing ridership to 53,337 due to the removal of the 5 four-car Monorail train sets due to safety concerns which resulted in reduced frequency. 

Prasarana is taking the necessary actions to resolve this technical issue in stages.

Commuting via public transport today has also become relatively cheaper than owning a car, especially if one factors the cost of ownership, insurance, road tax, maintenance and related expenses including parking, fuel, toll and not to mention unproductive hours spent in traffic. 

For example, a commuter can take an MRT Feeder bus to the Sg Buloh station for RM1 and take the MRT to Pasar Seni for RM3.70 and switch to an LRT ride to KLCC for RM2.10, at an affordable RM6.80, one way. 

This does not take into account the further reduction on Touch ‘n Go and 50% concession rates enjoyed by students, senior citizens 
and the disabled.

The Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) an independent survey carried out by SPAD indicated that 84% of respondents are satisfied with the urban public transport in 2016, an increase of 10% from 2015. 

These findings reflect the Government is on the right track in planning and implementation of initiatives under the National Land Public Transport Master Plan.

To continue to attract more ridership by making transit more seamless, SPAD will soon launch the Journey Planner in quarter 4, 2017 and implement the integrated ticketing system by 2019.

The Greater Kuala Lumpur/ Klang Valley’s record of delivering its recent public transport projects on-time is testament to the forward planning process now in place. 

Many high impact projects are being delivered, and we are making big changes to people's lives from the position we were in 10 years ago.

Moving forward, the Government remains committed to ensure that our longer term plans to improve the bus network, and increase the rail 
capacity on the existing lines progresses well with projects such as LRT3, MRT 2 and the upcoming MRT 3.
-End–

For media enquiries, please contact:
Communication Division
Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat 
Tel : +603 2726 7000/Fax: +607 2726 7300 

E-mail : communications@spad.gov.my

46 comments:

  1. Let Ong google the meaning of 'economies of scale'

    Prof Kangkung

    ReplyDelete
  2. Its ok annie kalau DAP sedikit bodoh.

    Itu sebab mereka tidak boleh dominan dan menguasai PH.
    Itu sebab lim kit siang tidak mampu memperalatkan Tun.
    Itu sebab lim kit siang tidak layak menjadi PM.

    Dakwaan umno, DAP abang long, DAP peralat Mahathir untuk undi Melayu dan lum kit siang akan jadi PM nyata tidak benar dengan adanya pemimpin kurang cerdik dalam DAP.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annie. Kluangman has surfaced a brilliant point. Clearly a plus for Pakatan Harapan. A negative that is positive. Sounds goofy but definitely a winning potential. Yes.

      Delete
  3. Annie,

    I have not read Ong Kian Ming's comments on the public transport system but you are kinda of right - improvements to the public transport system is important.

    My only gripe is that I believe that the government should own the public transport system, not private enterprise.

    It is the same with hospitals, education, telecommunications, power supply, water supply, public works, etc.

    When these institutions are handed over to private enterprise, we, the rakyat, will suffer because private enterprise exist to make money and they don't really care how it is done.

    Another problem is that in Malaysia, such institutions are handed over to a very small group of people, who then make fabulous money.

    This money, which could have been made by the government, in other words, the rakyat, is now lost to that small select group.

    If we keep giving away our public institutions, what is the point of having a government anyway?

    Gladiator

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If the government buil everything and own everything then its finance will go bust within months and its machineray collapse spectacularly. Its operation expenditure would skyrocket till the kingdom come.

      The civil servants too would become even more bloated because they need manpower to oversee those stuff. That’s why there’s privatization policy in place, GLCs, statutory bodies, PFI and UKAS. The government can’t do everything. You need help from the private sectors to drive the economy.

      Delete
  4. //We cant be developed if continue to get stuck in traffic jam in downtown KL//

    I think you missed the point of what Ong was saying.We build the transport system to solve the traffic jams you said above but if the transport system is not efficient .e its more expensive and the travel times are much more than the people may still prefer to use their cars and we wont solve the traffic jams and therefore according to your definition we wont be a developed country.To solve the problem the Government can increase the toll rates and the price of fuel which in turn will increase the inflation and the cost of living for the people .The final analysis is if you copy what other countries are doing without taking into account of the specifics in your own country,your solution will only create another problem which nullify all your effort.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon 18:53: So what do you propose? Don't build MRT and build what instead??? M'sian are malas people, they don't want to walk even 100m. If u have a unique solution for mass transportation that is cheap & supper efficient, let the world know & do patent it, e,g, hyperloop or a transporter. You will be a billionaire. In the meantime, simpan sikit bodoh tu.

      Delete
    2. Sombongnya memanggil orang bodoh tanpa mencerminkan diri sendiri dulu.Jenis inilah dipanggil bodoh sombong dan sebab inilah kita masih belum dapat menjadi negara maju.Banyak lagi cara untuk menyelesaikan masaalah kesesatan lalu lintas selain menggunakan sistem canggih seperti hyperloop dan sebagainya.Yang penting sistem yang dipilih mestilah sesuai dari segi kos dan masa perjalanan untuk pengguna jika tidak wang seratus bilion yang dibelanjakan kerajaan tak akan menyelesaikan traffic jams yang awalnya ialah problem yang hendak diatasi.Couritiba diBrazil menyelesaikan kesesatan trafiknya hanya dengan mengecilkan jalan untuk penggunaan kenderaan dan menambah bas bas yang beroperasi dengan harga murah dan efficient.With something simple like Bandar itu berjaya menyelesaikan masaalah kesesatan lalu lintas mereka.

      Delete
    3. Anon 19:20, kalau rakyat msia x nak naik mrt, what mskes u think they will take the bus to go ti city center? Bus tu boleh lalu depan rumah semua org ke? Berapa laju bus tu boleh jln kalau asyik berhenti turun/naik? Nak bagi contoh pun pikirle sikit.

      Delete
    4. Oh sekarang ini MRT lalu depan semua rumah dan MRT tak payah berhenti sehingga sampai kerumah kau?Kalau nak suruh orang berfikir sebelum bagi contoh,tolonglahlah bermula dengan diri sendiri.

      Delete
    5. Anon 22:11, you're missing the point. Let me spell it for u. The pt is, many msian don't want to take the mrt or lrt because the mrt/ lrt is not point to point. Replacing mrt by bus will not solve the problem. The improvement that is needed is local busses to connect the last mile.

      Delete
  5. The problem is that pink-lipped thief Najis Tong Rosak thinks that people should fall at his feet and thank him, or kiss the fat diamond hippo's hooves in gratitude.

    They stole 4.5 billion USD from the Malaysian public.

    And we are supposed to say thank you for MRT built with our money???

    Ha ha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did you really understand the issue at hand?

      Neither Ong or Annie had asked anyone to thank the govt for the MRTs.

      DAP cyber troopers nowadays got no standard laaa.

      Delete
    2. Actually Pok Jib openly wants to be known as "Bapa of" Tranportation.

      Actually he has a point.

      He has been transporting 4,000 pounds of hippo meat by private jet for many years.

      Terbaek, dato seri!


      Prof Sawi






      Delete
    3. There is a drop in ridership said Ong
      This shows that the reception is luke-warm
      It does not benefit the rakyat
      Could it be feasiblity study gone awry
      Now it has burdened the rakyat more with govt debt
      There is such a thing as return on investment
      Now you have to encourage/to increase resddentship to this area to eleviate ridership
      Encouraging rakyat is no no
      Just like telling the men to roll up their long pant to pee instead of unzipping

      Fadzireen

      Delete
    4. Cannot encourage the rakyat? Really? I disagree. Btw, I think the SPAD's statement on the ridership is quite okay. I think it will get better over time. Thank you.

      Delete
    5. To common men:
      "It is never too late to be what you might have been"

      To bangsatwan 1mdb:
      "It is too much to pay back what you have scammed from common men."

      Delete
    6. https://youtu.be/NxcOxvEsE_Y

      I'm sitting here lonely like a broken man.
      I serve my time doin' the best I can.
      Walls and bars they surround me.
      But, I don't want no sympathy.

      No baby, no baby,
      All I need is some tender lovin'.
      To keep me sane in this burning oven.
      And, when my time is up, you'll be my reefer.
      Life gets worse on God's green earth.
      Be my reefer, got to keep smokin' that thing.
      No, no, no, no, no, no.

      Delete
  6. Annie,I think the issue is not on the improvement of the infrastructure but it is more on the cost of it Which make it non economical. Take an example of the 55 billion railway to the east coast,the interest alone is about 165 millions a month,pls tell me how on earth are we be able to break even on such spending? It is not include the operational yet which God knows how much. Isn't it more viable to complete and improve the costal highways as catalysts to the development of trengganu and Kelantan. The problem with najib is all the people surrounding him are only taking care of their own stomach and najib is not clever enough to decide which is good to the country and which is not. The best Najib achieved so far is to make majority of the Rakyat to hate him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kak annie must be worried about potential cost of not doing it. its ok a bit expensive but d future benefit is farther over d cost of today. eg d must do project tat cant be delayed. just we dunno wat is d high end view of it. in our situation no one is too sure about anything anymore. am afraid everything is back to square one…many questions, too few answers.

      Delete
    2. Don't only think of the cost and the East Coast as it is today but of the economic development which the East Coast Rail Link will bring, the additional passenger demand which will result and the additional tax revenue which all that will bring.

      According to this English translation of an Oriental Daily News article, Chinese associations on the East Coast have already seen business growth even before the ECRL has been built.

      http://www.malaysianchinesenews.com/2017/08/chinese-societies-view-east-coast-rail-link-positively/

      It may surprise you that I am not pro BN but I find the opposition to be totally negative about developments which will benefit the people, provide business and employment opportunities for the people.

      I'd like to know what alternatives which they have which will benefit the people apart from fancy-sounding slogans such as "Competency, Accountability and Transparency", which I'm sure is meaningless to those whose homes have been repeatedly flooded by flash floods, which have been largely blamed upon property developers being allowed to clear away the greenery on Penang's hill slopes to make way for property development.

      "Competency, Accountability & Transparency" means nothing to people who cannot afford to rent or buy a home due to the uncontrolled rise in property prices.

      "Competency, Accountability & Transparency" mean nothing to me when I have had to endure months of water rationing and repeated water disruptions in Petaling Jaya.

      "Competency, Accountability & Transparency" mean nothing to me when I have to pay to repair the damage caused to my car's suspension by the potholed roads in Petaling Jaya.

      Delete

  7. "Affordability " manyak penting maa aa ,sikalang semua balang manyak mahat maa aa ,olang akan cali apa yang lagi mulah lah .

    Itu "efficiency" tatak hat punya ,ini Malaysia lekat olang sutak biasa memang itu macam maa aa ,kalau semua efficient itu Najib tatak payah lancar itu TN 50 lagi maa aa ,itu Malaysia vision 2020 sutak manyak cukup lea aa ,pasti sutak maju maa aa.

    Lulu jalan sana lobang sini lobang ikan kembong RM 3.50 1 kilo ,sikalang jalan semua babut , ikan kembong RM 21.00 1 kilo apa macam ?.

    Susah punya olang ,hilup mau makan maa aa .

    ReplyDelete
  8. Typo error Annie. first para, second line. Clever sepatutnya. Edit skit. Cheers..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kluangman..
    DAP are not stupid
    Its the Malays who linked with the DAP are rather ignorant(I do not like to call others stupid) that they are just tools to DAP to achieve the aim of Gunakan Melayu Hantam Melayu
    Face the reality for BERSATU members that you are used by U Tun to achieve his ambition of making Boboi PM..
    Back to subject,good to do the assessements of pro and cons if we are open monded and not emotional and impartial..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unless you think Tun is stupid,like so many of those ministers which we have now,and who are showcasing their extreme stupidity for all to see almost everyday.

      If Tun wanted his son to be the PM, he would have make sure his son is in the very top position in the umno setup while Tun was still the president of umno and not after he has stepped down as party president.

      So i think you are just another one of those who dont use his brain to think but just accept totally what has been spit out from the mouth of those you know who.dedak eater ?

      Delete
    2. i dun think emotion can decides d fate of d nation. never heard of political punch? packing for d purpose of winning is not stupid.d not too clever is pas. a lone wolf cannot hunt.

      Delete
  10. "It’s as good as those in Tokyo and Singapore."

    COMPLETELY DISAGREE with THAT statement!

    Which part of Tokyo?
    The 'TOWN' or 'DISTRICT'?
    Which part of Singapore?
    Which 'station'?

    Do clarify!

    Do not expect anyone that some 'minute' (You may pronounce it in Manglish, or Singlish, or Indlish, or ROJAK, or whatever language you prefer but I am certain that you cannot speak proper ENGLISH, for the present) experience in Japan or Singapore for that matter, to sully that particular nation!

    Stick to your POLITIKUS infantile babble, in real life!

    I "ALWAYS TRUST DISHONESTY TO BE DISHONEST".

    p.s. congratulation on making my personal 'DISHONEST' list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All the stations, actually. I stayed for a week two years ago at the Shangri-la Hotel next to Tokyo Station and used the trains there everyday including the Shinkansen. Our new MRT is as good as those. Honest. Thank you.

      Delete
    2. Hey anon 12:34: I've lived and worked in tokyo & yokohama for a yr. Took the train to/from work 5, sometimes 6 days a wk. Yes, it is super punctual but packed liked sardines. Difficult to get a seat even at 11pm at night. The connectivity? Sometimes u have to get thru a shopping mall,then walk on the street for 5 min before u can connect to the next line. Having to sprint within 10 min to catch your connecting train is normal in japan. Bukan semua train kat jepun tu cantik macam shinkansen. There are many old trains but clean though, coz the rakyat there pembersih unlike (mostly) lazy & dirty msian.

      By the way, which part of japan or s'pore do u live in?

      Delete
  11. Annie,

    Transportation is getting from point A to B.

    The MRT will not be able to get you from A to B. You will need a feeder bus, Grab/Uber, Taxi etc or Car Park if you drive a car.

    Problem is integration.

    We are not as good as Spore, Japan, European in designing transportation for the masses.

    You can look at Spore how they manage the feeder bus.

    They also integrate their MRT line fully, passangers do not need to exit the MRT station to exchange MRT line.

    I came back to my hometown in JB, there were bad traffic jammed in JB sentral because the taxi, Grab and Uber pile up to take passanger.

    When they design the place, they did not consider proper design of passanger pick up and drop point.

    The same thing when designing highway, when 3 lanes merge become 2 lanes, it will lead to traffic jam. Motorist had suffered in Bulatan Pandan for more than ten year due bad design. The same thing happen in JB now, car piling up at Tebrau/Pandan to Setia Tropika. This is a new highway but already badly jammed because of bad design.

    You, yourself complaint earlier about bukit Jalil Stadium about the Parking problem.

    So, when you are talking about transportation, in general, people in Klang Valley are not very happy about our transportation system. There are flaws in design, inefficient integration and etc.

    We are not expecting it to get better. We have to live with it.

    The MRT is good,people support the MRT, but the fare/cost of MRT and to go to and back to the MRT is another matter entirely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have valid points. Don't just make them here. Raise them with SPAD in writing.

      Communication Division
      Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat
      Tel : +603 2726 7000/Fax: +607 2726 7300

      E-mail : communications@spad.gov.my

      Delete
  12. Shanghai metro commenced in 1993 & today it is the world's largest rapid transit system. KL LRT commenced in 1995 & today we are thankful & grateful to MO1 (father of MRT?) for catching up with shanghai metro, terbaik Buntut Nasional!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DOn't compare the growth of the Shanghai metro with the Klang Valley public transit rail system.

      Shanghai has a population of 24.15 million, which is about 83% of the population of Malaysia, so no doubt has the economies of scale for the metro to grow.

      Imagine what the hell the Klang Valley will be with a population of 24.15 million.

      Moreover, the Shanghai metro was built and is operated by one, state-owned operator, unlike Mahathir's "brilliant" idea of orgiginally having the two LRT and one Monorail lines operated by different private consortia, before the government had to step in and take them over under one state-owned operator - Prasarana.

      The government under "MO1" as you call him, now has to clean up the privatised mess left over from the Mahathir era.

      Delete
    2. And MO1 'transformed' the nation into 1mdb songlap, fgv debacle, 4.20 ringgit, no vision 2020, GST (now poor need to pay taxes), etc, etc, etc still got bodoh support Bodoh Nasional sigh

      Delete
  13. Imagine a Msia without BN - No 1MDB but more MRTs

    ReplyDelete
  14. I agree with Ong on the need for more affordable transit fares, including discounts for frequent users, such as weekly or monthly passes.

    I also agree that there be better last mile connectivity between station and final destination and also more interchange stations.

    However, I disagree with the implication that the millions spent were wasted, which in turn implies that the MRT, LRT, Monorail and KTM Komuter should not have been built.

    I live near a Kelana Line LRT station and I use it as much as possible whenever I go into those parts of Kuala Lumpur close to LRT or Monorail stations, except when it is raining or when I expect to carry a certain amount of luggage or if it is at night when I expect to return after these services have stopped running, in which case I drive.

    In his article, Ong has not considered the economic benefits these modes of transport have brought to businesses in the vicinity of the stations.

    For example, SS15 Subang Jaya, the very first phase of Subang Jaya, has been a pretty run down place but after the LRT extension line began, with an SS15 station just next to the area, I noticed a revival of businesses and life to SS15.

    Make constructive criticisms for improvements - YES!

    Criticise of the sake of criticising - NO!

    Take away my LRT and I won't vote for you or your party - FULL STOP!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Take away my LRT and I won't vote for your party.it rhymes.

    Prof Kangkung

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It rhymes only to you. Others not much.

      Delete
  16. I find the MRT train is too bright...what's the lights below the seat for, by the way?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a valid issue. Why not complain to:-

      Communication Division
      Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat
      Tel : +603 2726 7000/Fax: +607 2726 7300

      E-mail : communications@spad.gov.my

      My criticism, especially of the LRT and KL Monorail system is the poor interchange connectivity between the Kelana Jaya and Ampang lines and initially between the Kelana Line and KL Monorail at KL Sentral and even today between the Kelana Line's Dang wangi station and KL Monorial's Bukit Nana station which are a long walk away from each other.

      This is the result of the concession to build and operate each of these lines being given to private consortia which chose incompatible rolling stock, stations and ticketing systems which were exclusive to their respective lines.

      Thus in the early days, if one wanted to transfer between what was then called the Putra Line and the STAR Line at their respective Masjid Jamek stations, they had to exit one station and buy a new ticket to take the other line from its Masjid Jamek station.

      It was the same for interchange between the Putra Line and the KL Monorail.

      However, now that the state-owned Prasarana has taken over all these lines and is under regulation by SPAD, one can now transfer between lines at the Masjid Jamek station and at Putra Heights station without having to buy a new ticket.

      Also, transfer between lines between Dang Wangi and Bukit Nanas and between the Kelana Line and Monorail at Kl Sentral has been made more convenient with covered walkways and through the Nu Sentral mall and an overhead passageway across Jalan Tun Sambanthan.

      This originally having different private consortia running the different lines is a legacy of Mahathir's time.

      In contrast, Singapore's MRT and LRT system is owned and operated by one operator - Singapore MRT and so are other urban transit rail systems in Europe and North America.

      Had the Klang Valley's transit rail system been built and operated by a single operator from the beginning, we would have been spared such inconveniences and the system would be much more well integrated.

      Public transit is a public service and making a profit should not be its primary objective. So even if it has to be subsidies with taxpayers' money, such facilities enable economic development along its route and the taxes collected from the businesses set up as a result will I believe more than cover the cost of subsidy of the system.

      Whilst that may be anathema to the increasingly discredited, yet currently fashionable von Hayek-ist, von Mises-ist, Chicago School, Ayn Rand-ist, Thatcherite, Reaganite, neo-liberal economic doctrines, I stand by what I believe should be the right government policy with regards public transit.

      The rut in which especially western economies have been trapped in since the 2008 financial crisis are the result of neo-liberal policies and we do not have to ape those countries which are on the road to decline.

      Delete
  17. Annie. Moving on. This tragedy has some lessons:

    http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/08/financial-problems-illness-likely-behind-death-of-family-members/

    First. Through no fault of theirs, two young lives did not have the opportunity to savor life's successes and enjoy the thrill of overcoming its challenges.

    Second. Society has yet to learn to accommodate failures. To help those who failed to get back their bearing.

    These are my concerns. Others may have more. We must pay attention to our neighbours and local community. Their well being and difficulties. No bias. No prejudice.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous @ 8 October 2017 at 14:10,

    //what's the lights below the seat for, by the way?//

    To help with taking upskirt videos??

    Check to see if your feet are dirty?

    If the lights in the roof of the cabin go off, passengers can still see the floor?

    If you drop money under the seat, you can find it easily?

    To check if you have your slippers on the right way?

    Help passengets get into the right mood before they visit entertainment outlets?

    To give some Malaysians a chance to make silly jokes?

    Gladiator

    ReplyDelete
  19. My Singapore-born, Singaporean cousin was sceptical that his fellow Singaporeans would use the Singapore MRT in significant numbers before the service there was launched in the 1980s.

    "Singaporeans will not give up their air conditioned cars and take the MRT", he said.

    Then when the MRT was launched and rides were free for the first of first few days, he told me, "Singaporeans were riding the MRT like a fairground ride"

    Well today, he no longer questions ridership on the MRT there, nor its further expansion and extension.

    When the two Klang Valley LRT lines began running in the late 1990s, that was the height of the "Reformasi fever" amongst urban, educated, English-literate, privileged, middle-class types such as myself and the milieu in which I moved and since the LRTs were the much behated Mahathir's "baby", we gloated at the half-empty LRT carriages but 10 or more years later in the mid 2000s, there were long queues on the LRT platforms especially during peak periods, waiting to squeeze onto the LRT carriages which were packed with passengers like sardines in a can.

    My first taste of the LRT was in the late 1990s when I needed to get from my home which is near an LRT station to Wisma Denmark on Jalan Ampang, where public parking was very limited and when I asked about parking, I was advised to take the LRT to the Dang Wangi station, which was a 20 minutes ride away. I did and after that I was hooked and unless I expect to have to carry a substantial amount of luggage, I take the LRT whenever my destination is along the route.

    When the Kelana Line was extended from the Kelana Jaya station through Subang Jaya to Putra Heights, I noticed that initially there were few passengers on the LRT once it passed the Kelana Jaya station enroute to Putra Heights but over the months, I have observed the passenger load on this sector to have increased substantially.

    Simply put, it takes a while for people to get used to a new mode of transport. Those living around the forst part of the Kelana Line between Gombak and Kelana Jaya stations have become accustomed to riding the LRT, especially for its convenience, whilst those living around the new portion need time.

    Likewise, it is the same with the MRT. The first phase ran from Sungai Buloh to the Semantan station near the Parliament House, so travelling on it wasn't practical for most but after it was recently extended underground through the city centre and all the way to Kajang, with interchanges between MRT, LRT, KL Monorial and feeded buses, riding on the MRT has become a more attractive proposition and ridership will pick up over time.

    The DAP especially has been very good at criticising and finding fault with the incumbent government without proposing a better alternative.

    If I recall right, they also criticised the building of the Penang Bridge back in the mid-1980s but now, despite the second Penang bridge the DAP led Penang State Government wants to build a tunnel between Penang island and the Penang mainland.

    I believe this "barking watchdog", opposition "NGO" mentality stems from the DAP believing that it would forever be in opposition during the 1980s and 1990s and during election times called upon voters to deny the incumbent government a two-thirds majority.

    So despite being part of the ruling pact in five states after the 2008 general elections and after the pact having achieved the DAP's earlier goal of having denied the incumbent coalition a two-thirds majority in parliament, many DAP politicians are still stuck with their "barking watchdog", opposition "NGO" mentality, even today when they stand a reasonable chance of being a part of a future federal government.

    I won't mention names but just observe DAP politicians and you will know who the barking watchdogs are.

    PKR and PAS politicians are not like that.

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    Replies
    1. PKR politicians are busy killing one another. They have less time to be barking watchdogs.

      PAS politicians? I am not sure what they have been doing since Ice Age.

      Delete
    2. It would be terrible if all were mere barking watchdogs - lots of talk but no action.

      Delete
  20. Annie,

    Looks like your criticism had its effect. Ong Kian Ming posted the updated statistics and this on his website:-

    "I hope that people won’t misunderstand the reasons why I am highlighting these statistics. It is not to criticize SPAD or Prasarana for the sake of criticizing. I am strongly in support of public transportation and want more people to use them. If the projected increase in rail ridership is not happening, then we need to know the underlying causes for this. "

    http://ongkianming.com/2017/10/10/media-statement-responding-to-spads-statement-on-rail-ridership-in-the-klang-valley/

    That's decent of him, I mustsay.

    ReplyDelete