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Urban
Transportation
Forum
2015
Forum to address issues and challenges for sustainable systems nationwide.
AT THE LAST count, the world population
stood at 7.0 billion and today, more than half,
i.e., 3.9 billion, live in towns and cities. By 2030,
it is expected that 60% of the world population
will be urbanised, with Asia and Africa having
higher numbers of urban dwellers than any
other major area of the world (Source: United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements).
Universally, the pull or draw of urbanisation
is a better way of life, which will contribute to
increased national productivity and economic
well-being. The Malaysian scenario is no
different; for sustainable urbanisation, town
and city planners need to contend with evergrowing demand for institutional infrastructure,
housing, efficient and cost-effective amenities
for waste management, utilities, pollution
control and mobility, i.e., urban transportation.
The hard facts, though, are that (a)
planning and delivery of urban transportation
is fragmented due to limited coordination
between interdependent agencies (World Bank’s
Malaysia Economic Monitor July 2015), (b)
only 17% of Malaysian commuters use public

transport, compared to 62% in Singapore and
89% in Hong Kong and (c) annually, Greater
Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley residents
spend 250 million hours in traffic snarls due
to high rates of motorisation and congestion.
At the Urban Transportation Forum, themed
“Strategising and Enhancing the Malaysian
Urban Public Transport”, convened by the Asian
Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI), these
and other subjects were deliberated, namely;
s ‘Let’s Get The Perspective Right:
Challenges and issues of urban
transportation system to meet the need
of growing cities of Malaysia and special
insight into the KL-Singapore High Speed
Rail as the new game changer’ that is
expected to create economic impact of how
Malaysians and Singaporeans live, play and
work.
s ‘Shaping and structuring Malaysia’s
integrated rail planning – the start of new
modern rail transit’ based on five criteria
of convenience, reliability, safety, efficiency
and timeliness, with the focus on need,

demand and the supply.
‘How MRT, LRT & BRT can provide the
needed quantum leap for the values of real
estate and commercial properties nearby’,
i.e., in proximity of train stations/terminals,
with an analysis of property development
and market trends arising therefrom.
s ‘Planning future extensions and networks
to increase capacity exponentially – how
do taxis, buses and rail work together
in cities and towns of Malaysia’, i.e.,
ideas and case studies for an intermodal
transportation system.
In a keynote luncheon address, delivered on
behalf of the Chairman, Land Public Transport
Commission (SPAD), its newly-appointed CEO
Encik Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah reiterated
that with “Malaysia ranked 11th out of 185
countries by the World Bank in Quality of Trade
and Transport” and a “35 million population
projected by 2020, 75% of whom will live
in urban areas, public transportation needs
improvement” – of its use, also by 2020, SPAD
set a target of 40%. Q
s

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