Jamming Up the Contract

In my introductory article, I explained the importance of discussing the social contract using two important terms: ‘livability’ and ‘responsibility’. We Malaysians reject the constant bickering and racism in Parliament and in the media which do little to address, let alone solve, the problems we face. One of these problems is the ubiquitous traffic jam. Yes, almost every household in urban Malaysia confronts this stressful ordeal every morning, afternoon and night; in fact, its effects are most apparent on those who drive a car or live in large cities such as Kuala Lumpur. 

I think it’s safe to say that terrible traffic jams have made many Malaysians feel that conditions here are no longer very livable. Having to spend two to three hours stuck in the jam every day is certainly contributing nothing to our productivity; moreover, it drains resources, mental energy, and induces a tremendous amount of stress. Malaysians can do without traffic jams and we must demand more not only from the government, but also from each other to collectively solve the traffic problem. 

The government must introduce new laws and implement smart policies to curb traffic and not just build more highways, because common sense dictates that more roads mean more cars. On the other hand, a complimentary effort undertaken by the rakyat to decrease car usage and use public transportation could potentially build a new norm of riding the bus or walking to work instead of driving. 

Here, I’ll focus on ten things which the government can and must do to eliminate traffic jams and fulfill their end of the contract, which is to create a livable environment for the rakyat:

1. Stop building highways. We don’t need more multi-billion ringgit contracts for mega-expressways to link up townships or create new satellite towns. The construction of these new highways spurs a boom in real estate development and new residential and commercial areas will start springing up near these projects. These ill-planned areas are naturally ill-connected in terms of public transportation and there is no incentive to plan bus route, since these areas are perceived to be ‘high wealth’ and whose residents would all presumably own a car. When families start moving in, they’ll have no other option than to drive to work, adding more cars to an already clogged intercity grid. The biggest irony is that most of the time, these families move away from the city to escape the traffic but that is exactly what they’ll get: more jams. The government has to end this vicious cycle of building more highways and create more traffic.
2. Better traffic management. By introducing Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) such as the Singaporean and Toronto model; whereby all cars wishing to enter highways or areas with heavy traffic have to be fitted with an In-Vehicle Unit (IU). This open road tolling system allows vehicles to keep moving while paying their tolls. Another option is to introduce congestion charges such as that used in London, or a pricing system levied as a tax taking after the Swedish and Dubai model. These measures can not only alter some traffic patterns, but also allow planners to control traffic; since drivers will want to pay the least amount possible, they will also encourage car-pooling. Directing traffic onto key arterial routes can help authorities decide which roads to improve by widening or by better public transportation servicing along that corridor.
3. Discourage car usage. This may sound unpopular but the government must have the political will to make sweeping changes to change the status quo if we’re to even begin tackling the traffic problem. The government can discourage car usage using a variety of “push” methods: reducing energy subsidies (which they’re doing); increasing toll charges; creating “low-carbon” areas where cars with high-carbon emissions are restricted from entering; increasing the road tax and perhaps introduce a ‘certificate of entitlement’ scheme in certain urban areas which are very congested. The idea is to make driving expensive and just miserable enough so that the person who is thinking about purchasing a car will think twice. We can also discourage car usage by introducing a car-plate number system whereby the roads will be off-limits to certain users on weekends or weekdays depending on the colour or number on their license-plate.
4. Increase parking fees, limit parking spots and enforce parking fines. You’d be amazed at how many parking spots a small town like Penang has. All throughout the heritage area, motorists park in every nook and cranny, from the narrow alleyways to the main thoroughfares, all at the cost of either RM2.00 from a licensed parking attendant or RM1.00 for an illegal jaga kereta or ‘car keeper’. Of course, Kuala Lumpur parking is a lot more expensive, but is it expensive enough? Monthly parking in office buildings within the city centre may cost up to RM300 a month, but let’s experiment by increasing that. I can guarantee that people will grumble and complain, but they will get creative and do whatever it takes to minimize cost by car-pooling, parking and riding and so forth. The trick is to also limit the amount of parking spots actually allocated in new expansion projects or buildings. We Malaysians are also notoriously non-compliant and double-park at every given chance without giving it a second thought. The government must have the resolve to punish drivers and inflict hefty fines on those who park illegally, causing congestion, and to send out enough traffic officers to enforce these laws. 
5. Improve coverage of public transportation. Everything mentioned before this will only add to the burden of the rakyat if an alternative is not available. If you tax the people to high heaven, you must be able to provide a more cost-effective way to get from point A to point B. By public transportation I mean buses, KTM, LRT, Monorail and taxis. Bus coverage in Penang is satisfactory, with many areas serviced with bus routes, since it is the island’s sole method of public transportation, but there is subpar coverage in KL. Most buses in KL act as feeder buses, to and from LRT stations, creating a severe lack of neighbourhood coverage. As a result, many residential areas are unreachable through bus or LRT, and taxi drivers lurk at these stations or stops, waiting to make a killing from desperate commuters who have no other way of getting home (more on taxis in the future). Although the extension of the LRT and building of MRT lines are underway in the Klang Valley and more areas previously not serviced will be connected, I remain skeptical of the overall benefit brought to the citizens because a core concept was and continues to be neglected: integration.
6. Improving integration of bus, KTM, LRT and Monorail. What I mean here is that the interchanges of these modes of transportation have to be hassle-free, comfortable and easy for the commuter. For example, when one alights from the LRT at KL Sentral, one has to walk out of the building for another 5-10 minutes for the Monorail interchange and it isn’t the most pleasant of walks. Why doesn’t Abdullah Hukum station on the Kelana Jaya Line have any pedestrian pathways connecting to Gardens Midvalley, which is less than a stone’s throw away? When there are these integrated links from bus to LRT to Monorail, they are treacherously difficult – construction sites, obstacles, debris and poorly paved paths leave commuters in a dishevelled, sweaty mess; while unsheltered walkways expose riders to the elements. Certainly, the integration of various modes of travel can only enhance the experience and make our public transportation system attractive.
7. Improving on existing infrastructure. Our government loves to build new things because this means more contracts, more money into more pockets and more development. Instead of funding new mega-projects, the government can channel more money into the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to improve the services and frequency of buses, trains and quality of civil servants. The government should be a larger stakeholder in public transportation development, making the refurbishing, modernization and improvement of stations, rails and business model the top priority. Prasarana, MRT Corp and KTM should take initiatives to revitalize the image of public transportation by emphasizing train and bus punctuality, improving signage at stations and bus stops (it’s quite hard to identify bus stops and schedules at most places), increasing train capacity and frequency and maintaining the quality of services at stations (how often do we see escalators which are out order?). Perhaps some investment in technology so that train arrival and departure times can be listed or accessed through a web interface. Currently, online access and data-broadcasting for RapidKL and KTM are severely lacking and lagging behind the times. 
8. Adding more park and rides. Where drivers could park their cars at parking lots adjacent to public transit stations before riding the train or bus to work. This is a very compatible model with a highway-city such as KL, but in recent years parking spaces have become pitifully inadequate in many stations on the fringes of the city. Why not add more park and rides to different stations on different lines? More importantly, make sure these parking spaces are safely connected to the bus or the train to encourage more ridership. Many people would also not park their cars in risky and unsafe places either, so city planners have to not only choose suitable locations but have licensed companies maintain these lots for best results.
9. Introduce and legislate bicycle lanes. Cycling on the highways of KL? Cycling to work in the sweltering tropical heat? Am I insane? No, simply because bicycles are a tried and true method of decongesting streets across the globe, whatever the climate or culture. Take for example, Bogota’s CicloRuta, or Cycle Routes. Mayor Enrique Penalosa implemented an extensive bicycle path network which absolutely revolutionized the city’s infrastructure. More than 300km of bicycle lanes were planned, structured and formally established, while the Ciclovia program is the largest of its kind in Colombia, with 600,000 to 1,400,000 participants taking to the bicycles. This sort of social innovation is necessary in Malaysia to reinvent and rethink our norms of driving and re-examine our car-centric city planning. We have the potential to have a vibrant biking programme with public bike lounges, where cyclists can meet up, eat, socialize, fraternize and head out to the respective workplaces. There are several challenges however, one of such ‘birth-pains’ would be to command respect from motorists to ensure the safety of cyclists. Not everyone is used to sharing the road with bicycles.
10. Improve walkability of urban spaces. Cracking sidewalks, non-existent road signs and even a total absence of pavements are only some of the problems which encourage Malaysians to hop into their cars for a quite spin, as opposed to making the journey on foot. Of course, it’s not feasible to walk from Damansara to KL, but the government could try to make walking from Bukit Bintang to Bukit Nanas a much more pleasant and convenient enterprise by adding a lot more pedestrian crosswalks (severely lacking in this country), pedestrian bridges, pavement handrails, signage and sheltered walkways. Planting more shrubbery and trees would also do a lot for beauty and livability of a city.

The government has its work cut out and we have seen at least ten policy areas in which actions have to be taken by our elected officials to tackle the traffic jam issue and improve livability. However, it doesn’t start and end with what the authorities do or don’t do. We have a very significant part to play in this dialogue because we are the users of the road and ultimately we have to convince ourselves to get on the bus instead of our car. Are we ready to uphold our end of the contract? Stay tuned for the next article.

Written for The Rakyat Post, Nov 20th

Dennis Kam