Public Transportation Issues

As we know it, public transportation includes the street environment, which is anything under the local authorities and highway departments that are beyond the gates of our private homes. Different departments are in-charge of different things.

I thought Penang should get it right faster than KL. The reason I am saying this is DBKL is looking at MPPP in terms of getting the street environment right.

As we know it, the Jabatan Bangunan, MPPP had collaborated with other departments to get some street environment right in Penang, so in Penang you actually have one department up and running knowing what to do. (Penang Road & Gurney Road projects)

If there are only low buses given at the end of the campaign, MPPP should design pavements to FLUSH (same height) with the threshold of the bus. We must make sure that the first potion of the bus (half) must have area for wheelchairs, pushchairs, luggage and seats for elderly and disabled people. If there is a split level, the front portion must be accessible.

The problem is also the maintenance of the road surface. In 1999, I had a discussion with an engineer from DBKL that stated that pavement levels could go higher than 6 inches (approx. 150mm) because when the road is repaired the contractor may just pour the bitumen and stuff without scraping the earlier road surface. This of course is nonsense and bad practice standards.

The pavement must not go higher than 150 mm as according to standards, the low floor buses were designed to flush with the 150 mm height pavements.

Then there is the awareness training and training of bus drivers to park parallel and close to the kerb (or curb) at the exact point to facilitate wheelchair users, physically disabled and blind people to board for example.

So many issues and so many departments to take care of so many things from training, policies, standards, design and implementation, not to mention bus stops, crossings, pavements and the buses themselves.

Who has to coordinate all these things?

We have to realise in Malaysia at this point in time, its the USERS. Its the NGOs.

Like it or not we have to WORK WITH the government in this matter, like so many other matters to do with the community, ie Women issues etc. We have to create Access Advisory Committees to work with the government departments.

Do we have enough people for this? Are we ready to work with the government when the situation arise?

Of course the campaign (to get all bus accessible) must go on. Of course we ask for everything to get it right in the first place. But we need to be ready for all possibilities.