Transportation Issues in Wangsa Maju

Hello,



First off, my name is Yuen-Chi, I'm a resident of Danau Kota, born and raised in Setapak.



I would like to address a few issues with regards to transportation here. I'm not too sure how trivial it appears to be, but transportation to me, affects thousand or more of the residents staying in Wangsa Maju or its environs; it affects the mood of the people as well.



I travel from Danau Kota to Wangsa Maju back-and-forth every morning and evening to take LRT to work during the weekdays, sometimes, I will car-pool my brother. At night or during the weekends, I will drive around the area -- Jalan Genting Klang, Wangsa Maju or Sri Rampai. So my opinions are formed based on what I have experienced.



Thanks for reading this, and please leave a comment if you have more to address or different opinions.



Rapid KL / Putra LRT

The Wangsa Maju LRT station is one of the MOST busy stations (another one will be Masjid Jamed) in the morning. The problem that has been bugging us for years is the very long queues in the morning. I'm happy that Rapid KL has put effort to keep people disciplined (it wasn't like that, until 2007, they have some guys monitoring the platform in the morning). The consequences of it, you will have to wait for up to 30 minutes to be in the train and the train will be so packed with people (yes, packed, completely squeezed).



1. It is possible for Rapid KL to dispatch more trains (and more frequently) in the morning?



Another problem of it which has gotten more serious recently, is the instability of the train service. I had experienced train service went down for a few times in the morning, I had also phoned Rapid KL hotline regarding this but there's no solution to it, I had also contacted The Star to raise this as an Metro issue but it ended no where. As a consequence of it, people had to seek for alternatives such as bus service, taxi, etc. at the last minute.. that would still make them late as the Jalan Genting Klang would turn to be more jammed. The problem causes us panic (unless your boss is nice enough) and gives a great impact to the human resource efficiency.



2. Can Rapid KL guarantee a stable service? How frequent or effective is their scheduled maintenance?



Bus Service

The bus service is provided by Rapid KL and Metro Bus (we had Len Seng, and what is it now?). Someone drops me at the Wangsa Maju station in the morning, so I will only take it on the way back after work (provided that the bus is full enough, which I will explain why later).



My question is, is there a schedule on when the buses arrive and depart? I have seen people waited for Rapid KL bus for so long in the dark at the bus stop (opposite of the LRT station) which the lights would never turn on (this is a security issue). As for Metro Bus, the problem happens not just in Wangsa Maju but everywhere of its coverage, you will have to wait up to more than 30 minutes in the bus for its engine to turn on again -- the bus driver and monitor will wait for the people to fill up the seats.



3. Can we have the bus schedule or is there any way to make them to be punctual or efficient?



Taxi Service

The taxi service is not really that bad, as there're taxis waiting you at the station or opposite of you. However, during/after peak hours, it is extremely hard to grab a taxi. It is not really the problem of the taxi driver (it's relevant however, sometimes) but more of the civilization and moral quality of the people. They never queue or they cut the queue even when there is one. Call me "stupid" because I will always make up a queue or let go for someone who has waited longer than me. I have also shouted at those who came late and grabbed away our taxi, to raise their awareness and to embarrass them. Anyone, youngsters (it happens to couples or people in group) and adults do it.

Something has definitely gone wrong with our education system.



4. Any solution to the problem besides of fixing our education system?



On the Road

Within the short distance, Setapak area is very jammed. Whoever drive in the morning (or peak hours during weekends) on the Jalan Genting Klang should know about it.



The bottlenecks that I can identify are:

  1. The junction at the Jalan Genting Klang's Pizza Hut. Due to the bus stop and the cars crossing to the opposite.
  2. The exit of Air Panas to Jalan Genting Klang (the Perodua shop). Even though 3 lanes are occupied, it is still crazy. *Only in the morning*

  3. The exit of Wangsa Maju to Melati / TARC due to the slow traffic lights. *Usually the evening*
  4. The lane to enter Danau Kota, from both sides of the road. Due to traffic light and blocking cars which intend to go straight instead of make turn. *During the weekends evening*
5. How can we fix these bottlenecks?

No comments:

Post a Comment