| Philosophy Politics Economics Posted: 12 Mar 2011 09:34 AM PST
| MRT: Failed Integration Test Posted: 11 Mar 2011 03:11 PM PST The proposed MRT system fails the integration test and poses the question as to whether the Gamuda-MMC driven project and designed alignment serves the interest of the public transport users, or other hidden commercial interest It has already been reported that the proposed site for the "KL Sentral MRT station" in front of the National Musuem will be a significant distance away from the current KL Sentral Transport Hub, which houses the KTM, KTM Komuter, KLIA Transit and Express as well as the Putra LRT services. The proposed location risks making the same mistake as the location of the KL Sentral Monorail station which is ludicrously disconnected from the Hub. However, the KL Sentral MRT Station isn't the only one which is sited at the baffling location. The Bandar Utama (BU) MRT Station is similarly placed more than a kilometre away from the existing bus terminal which is currently catering to shuttle, feeder, stagecoach and inter-city buses. The BU MRT Station is expected to be the busiest station in the northern part of the alignment serving some 46,900 passengers daily, and is the 5th busiest of the 35 proposed stations. Only Pusat Bandar Damansara (60,700), Pasar Seni (73,800), Pasar Rakyat (67,300) and Plaza Phoenix (54,000) are expected to cope with more passengers. Given the importance and high ridership expected at the station, why is the MRT station intentionally located approximately 1-kilometre's walk away from the bus terminal? Instead, it is located along the LDP, right in front of Media Prima broadcast centre for TV3 etc.
The integration is particularly important since buses are expected to be the key dispersal mode of transport for such high passenger volume. What we will face otherwise, is that buses and private vehicles will crowd the roads leading to the MRT stations to pick up and drop passengers. It brings to question whether the consultants took into consideration the severe congestion along the LDP during peak hours when deciding on the location of the MRT stations. And based on the plans provided by SPAD, there is no expected major road infrastructure work to cope with the increase in traffic.
In addition, the ability of the station to achieve the 46,900 passenger target is also severely compromised by the fact that there is no public parking facilities with the exception of those in the 1 Utama shopping mall or the OneWorld Hotel.
What confounds us further is the fact that there is plenty of space to build an MRT station next to the bus terminal which is also supported by a fairly large open space car park at this point in time. In fact, from press reports, we are made to understand that an underground carpark can also be built underneath the existing Central Park next to the bus terminal. It doesn't take a traffic consultant or an MRT specialist to conclude that the existing site for the Bandar Utama station is a very very bad idea.
Singapore, as the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) would agree, has one of the best public transport systems in the world. If one were to visit their MRT stations at key suburbs, it is highly integrated with a bus terminal within the town centre. In fact out of the 17 elevated stations outside of the Central Business District along the North-South Line, 10 are integrated with bus terminals.
In the northern and central township of Yishun and Ang Mo Kio for example, are served not only by the MRT but also a bus terminal which runs 22 and 18 trunk, feeder and intra-town services respectively. The townships have a population of 176,000 and 162,000 respectively. This is comparable to the population of Bandar Utama (120,000) and Damansara Utama (140,000) which are to be served by the BU MRT Station. In contrast, there are only 4 trunk services available at the BU bus terminal and SPAD has proposed 3 feeder services for the MRT station.
The BU MRT station plan is the perfect example of what is likely to go wrong when the country's biggest public transport infrastructure investment is proposed and designed almost entirely by commercial parties with vested interest. SPAD, which is meant to be the regulator to protect the interest of the public transport user in this case, only play the bridesmaid's role.
Instead of the land public transport masterplan which is due only in September this year to be the plan that dictates the public transport infrastructure development, the reverse is happening where the Gamuda-MMC proposed MRT plans are dictating how the public transport masterplan will be designed.
The outcome of such vendor-driven, "first-come-first-served" approach to building our key public transport infrastructure, is the proposed BU station where the interest of the commuters are made secondary to the interest of the commercial project developer.
We call upon SPAD to review the design, placement and overall public transport plans for the BU MRT station to ensure the interest of the local residents are prioritised. At the same time, the same review should be made on all the other stations to prevent negative or less desirable outcomes. | |
| Lim Lip Eng Posted: 12 Mar 2011 07:22 AM PST
| Unhappy with proposed MRT station Posted: 11 Mar 2011 09:09 PM PST Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By TAN KARR WEI, 12/3/2011)
The locations of several proposed MRT stations for the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line is likely to create more problems instead of solving them. One such station is the proposed Bandar Utama station, which will be built near the Media Prima broadcast centre at the junction of the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP) and Persiaran Bandar Utama. Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said the area was already packed with cars and having a station there would worsen the congestion. "There is no park-and-ride facility and there will be cars waiting for passengers by the main road," said Pua, who held a joint press conference with Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah near the site at Persiaran Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya. "The Bandar Utama MRT station is expected to be the busiest in the northern part of the alignment, servicing about 46,900 passengers daily and is the fifth busiest of the 35 proposed stations. "Why is the MRT station located 1km away from the bus terminal even though high ridership is expected? Instead, it is located along the busy LDP," said Pua. He added that the MRT would be not be beneficial without a proper bus system to complement it. Pua said in Singapore and Hong Kong, people did not rely fully on the MRT as the bus system also played an important role. "There are better alternative locations to look at. The proposed site for the KL Sentral station is also not located within the present KL Sentral station but near the National Museum. "The distance is even further than to the KL Monorail, which people were already complaining because of the long walk," he said. Sivarasa said a public meeting was held for stations in his constituency without the MP and assemblyman. "During a meeting in the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), we asked the rationale of putting stations where they are and were told some were meant for another two lines that have not been finalised. "How are we going to understand the rationale when there is no information on the other lines? The proposed stations should not be independent of the other two lines. "We appreciate the project is being carried out but it should not be rushed," said Sivarasa. Nurul Izzah said the Klang Valley MRT was the largest infrastructure project for the nation and suggested it be put on hold so all feedback and views could be taken into consideration. Pua said the tenders for the project's sub-contractors was supposed to be announced next month while the deadline for public feedback was May 14, raising the question of what would happen if there was a variation from the original plans if the public was not satisfied with the station locations. Lim Lip Eng said based on feedback from Taman Tun Dr Ismail residents, most did not want the station in their area and they also called for it to be located away from the LDP to avoid congestion and parking problems. "The Land Public Transport Commission has only held meetings with the Taman Tun residents while the Bukit Damansara residents are holding their comments until a meeting is called for in their area," he said. Bandar Utama City Corporation director Datuk Teo Chiang Kok said an integrated transportation hub had always been part of their master plan. He said ideally, 1Utama and The Curve should have their own stations but the distance between the two locations would be too near. "We have a bigger population and ridership from our shopping malls and offices so it makes sense to have it here," he said. The 1Utama open carpark serves as a transportation hub, with major bus and coach services like RapidKL, Aeroline, Genting Express and LCCT Skybus operating out of Bandar Utama. "We have also proposed for a joint venture with MBPJ to build two levels of basement carpark below the Central Park next to 1Utama. "We are willing to build it and go on a shared revenue basis with the council," he said. He said many people were lobbying for underground stations and it should be considered. "It would be more expensive to go underground but we should also look at the long-term gains because the stations are going to be here for a long time. "To mitigate the extra cost, the land around the stations can be developed for retail," he said. Teo said it was technically possible to build an underground station that could be shared by both shopping malls. Related news: Halt MRT project, say Pakatan MPs http://malaysiakini.com/news/158335 | |
| 魏宗贤文打烟之声 Gwee Tong Hiang for Bentayan Posted: 12 Mar 2011 03:18 AM PST |
| Lim Kit Siang Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:33 PM PST |
| Charles Santiago Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:32 PM PST
| DAP desak Parlimen bahas isu Interlok Posted: 11 Mar 2011 01:21 AM PST | | 武吉加里尔园丘居民上书 要求首相介入撤销驱逐令 Posted: 11 Mar 2011 12:45 AM PST Source: Merdeka Review 作者／本刊黄书琪 Mar 10, 2011 05:43:10 pm 【本刊黄书琪撰述】为 了保家园，41户甘榜武吉加里尔园丘（Kampung Ladang Bukit Jalil）居民今天到国会递交备忘录，要求首相纳吉介入，确保吉隆坡市政局的驱逐令无效，让居民得以继续在这块土地上生活。同时，和丰国会议员杰亚古玛 也已经提呈紧急动议，要求国会辩论。  甘榜武吉加里尔园丘的居民是在今早11时左右抵达国会大厦入口，但被警察拦截，经人民联盟国会议员斡旋之后，警察方允许大约十名居民代表带着备忘录进入国会大厦范围。
居民代表尽管没有办法直接把备忘录交给执政的国阵政府，但他们把备忘录交给民联议员，希望他们可以将此事带上国会。 同时，和丰国会议员杰亚古玛（Jeyakumar Deveraj）也在今日相议长提出书面紧急动议，要求在国会中讨论该园丘居民遭迫迁一事。 要求政府拨出四英亩地 园丘居民在备忘录中指出，该园丘总土地面积为1800英亩，但在建造武吉嘉里尔体育馆、轻快铁站之后，空地面积仅剩26英亩。不过，居民仅仅要求四英亩土地作为他们的居住地。 他们质问："为何拨地给私人企业兴建各种建筑物，却没有拨给住在当地最久的居民区区四英亩地？"  备忘录中也说明，吉隆坡市议会把这批居民当作非法木屋区居民看待，并且提出组屋搬迁方案，但是，居民例举搬迁至龙溪（Dengkil）的原布城地区居民的情况，批评所谓的组屋根本不宜住人。
更何况甘榜武吉加里尔园丘的居民自1940年起即居住当地，为了建设国家而牺牲，"我们相信我们拥有居住在这块土地上的权利，而且，我们仅仅要求四英亩土地。" 吉隆坡市政局已在今年3月1日致函当地居民，谕令他们务必最迟在3月14日搬迁，因为市政局将会在3月15日清理当地建筑物。 自2007年起，该园丘的前工人便接获吉隆坡市政厅指示他们搬迁的信件，但数年来不断的斡旋下，一次又一次展延拆迁，现在，市政局再下通牒，居民也上诉至国会，要首相纳吉正视他们的诉求，解决他们的问题，保住他们的家园。         | | போராட்டம் தொடர்கிறது Posted: 10 Mar 2011 11:03 PM PST | |
| Blog@Wengsan...博客@永山 Posted: 11 Mar 2011 09:28 PM PST |
| MY VOICE FOR NATION Posted: 11 Mar 2011 01:02 PM PST |
| SUARA PERAK Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:25 AM PST |
| Philosophy Politics Economics Posted: 11 Mar 2011 09:38 AM PST
| MITI Minister SHould Not Crow Too Early Posted: 11 Mar 2011 04:44 AM PST Lebih baik Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri (MITI) jangan "berkokok" terlalu awal Semasa sesi soaljawab Parlimen dua hari yang lalu, Menteri MITI Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamed memberikan jawapan mengenai kemajuan pelaburan asing dengan begitu angkuh terhadap pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat. Beliau menyatakan bahawa "…angka terkini berkaitan pelaburan asing di negara kita menunjukkan aliran masuk sebanyak USD9 bilion pada seluruh tahun lalu berbanding cuma USD1.4 bilion pada tahun 2009 iaitu peningkatan lebih lima kali ganda. Secara khususnya 536 peratus itu peratusan peningkatan lima kali ganda." Dato' Sri Mustapa mencabar YB Selayang, YB Permatang Pauh dan saya, yang tidak berada di dalam Dewan pada masa itu, "saya mahu tanya mereka apa respons mereka apabila angka terkini". Kami tidak membisu. Saya ingin memberikan respons, tetapi sebelum beri respons, saya perlukan data yang tepat, menyeluruh dan terperinci daripada MITI. Malangnya jawapan bertulis yang diberikan oleh Menteri kepada soalan saya terhadap permintaan tersebut lebih teruk daripada jawapan budak sekolah.
Saya meminta supaya MITI memberikan jumlah pelaburan asing yang diluluskan berbanding dengan jumlah sebenar yang dilaburkan. Perbezaan ini penting sebab pelaburan yang diluluskan mungkin tak terjadi atau tertangguh.
Misalnya, jumlah pelaburan asing yang diluluskan pada tahun 2009 adalah US$6.5 bilion (RM22.1b). Akan tetapi, pelaburan sebenar seperti yang dicatatkan dalam statistik UNCTAD adalah hanya US$1.4 bilion.
Mengikut statistik yang sedia ada dalam halaman internet MIDA, jumlah pelaburan asing yang diluluskan pada tahun 2010 adalah RM29.1 bilion. Ini bermaksud peningkatan jumlah pelaburan asing yang diluluskan oleh MITI hanya sebanyak 31.2%, jauh berbeza daripada "536%" yang diheboh-hebohkan oleh Menteri.
Oleh sebab itu, saya telah meminta MITI untuk membekalkan angka pelaburan sebenar sejak tahun 1996 untuk membuat perbandingan yang lebih tepat dan wajar. Malangnya, jawapan Menteri memberikan perbandingan antara pelaburan yang diluluskan untuk pelabur tempatan dengan pelabur asing!
Saya juga meminta Menteri untuk memberikan senarai 10 projek yang terbesar yang telah diluluskan tetapi belum lagi dilaburkan ataupun telah dibatalkan setiap tahun. Malangnya, Menteri menjawab hanya dengan jumlah nilai 10 projek yang terbesar sejak 1996, termasuk yang telah, tengah dan tidak dilaburkan.
Jika Menteri inginkan respons penuh daripada saya, saya harap MITI dapat membekalkan secara terperinci, angka-angka seperti yang dimintakan dan bukannya jawapan yang tidak berkaitan dengan soalan atau dengan angka yang terpilih sahaja.
Walau bagaimanapun, sama ada pelaburan asing meningkat hanya 31.2% ataupun 536% daripada detik terendah pelaburan asing di negara kita pada tahun 2009, Menteri tidak berlayak untuk bersifat angkuh. Apabila kita hanya mencapai 10 mata dalam peperiksaan sebelum ini, pencapaian 50 mata bukannya sesuatu yang amat membanggakan, terutamanya jika jiran-jiran kita mencapai keputusan dan trend yang jauh lebih baik daripada kita. | |
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