Updates #96

Updates #96

1. Hotline Story: Stop as you please? Passengers forced to alight even in the middle of the road (Malay Mail, 26 July 2011) – Priveena Mahan complains about being dropped off in the middle of the street.

[TRANSIT: RapidKL responds here explaining that they cannot always approach bus stops properly because of parked cars at the side of the road. But that should be the exception, rather than the rule.]

2. Article: TURF WAR (NST Streets, 26 July 2011) – Apparently a “turf war” has erupted between taxi drivers at the Subang Jaya Carrefour shopping centre …

[TRANSIT: The shopping centre is the “de facto” bus & taxi terminal for Subang Jaya, served by RapidKL, Metrobus & Minibus services, with KTM’s Subang Jaya Komuter station a short walk away. Large numbers of students and slow bus service plus traffic congestion – and of course a lack of enforcement – has emboldened taxi drivers to demand unreasonable fares. SPAD says they are “monitoring” the situation, but when are they going to take action?]

IMPORTANT NOTE: Taxi drivers and passengers who have had run-ins with these drivers are urged to report the incident by calling 1 -800-889-600 or emailing aduan@spad,gov.my.

3. Letter: Taxis: 10 reasons cabbies say no (NST, 27 July 2011) – Y.S. Chan of Kuala Lumpur explains some “good reasons” why taxi drivers might choose to refuse fares or demand “flat” fares.

4. Picture: Unusual train coach spotted on KESAS (25 July 2011) @Buttercity spotted what appears to be a new KTM train coach being transported along the KESAS Highway.

[TRANSIT: We think this is one of the JR “Blue” train coaches which were “donated” to KTMB last year. Any confirmation?]

5. Article: Biker killed in highway horror (The Star, 25 July 2011) – another tragedy, but the article that concerns us is the second one which describes another bus crash.

6. Article: Delivery of EMU trains ahead of schedule (The Star, 25 July 2011) – The first of the new KTM Komuter EMUs is still anticipated to arrive “in September” but we wonder if the trains will arrive earlier as the article says.

7. Letter: Public transport must be public friendly (The Star, 26 July 2011) – Khaymalatha Balakrishnan of Serdang writes about issues with bus and KTM Komuter services.

8. Article: A nostalgic journey by rail (The Star, 26 July 2011) – The article describes a journey on the “North Borneo Railway” a steam-powered heritage tour train operated by the Sabah State Railways.

9. Article: TTDI interchange upgrade to complete next year (NST, 26 July 2011) – the upgrades at the TTDI interchange, which include a new flyover (completed and open) as well as an underpass from the LDP to TTDI, will be completed in March of 2012. TRANSIT is interested in the mention that “Litrak has given its feedback regarding the LRT extension to project owner Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd.”

[TRANSIT: We do not know if they are referring to the LRT extension from Kelana Jaya to Subang Jaya & USJ, or the proposed LRT spur line from Kelana Jaya to Damsnsara, or the Sg. Buloh Kajang MRT line. We will have to ask Prasarana for more information.]

10. Article: Railwaymen to protest against KTM President’s contract renewal (NST, 26 July 2011) – Members of the Railwaymen’s Union (RMU) will protest against the reappointment of KTMB President Dr. Aminuddin Adnan, who they feel has a poor view of the union.

11. Letter: Question mark over public transport (The Star, 28 July 2011) – CAP writes to express their concerns over vehicle safety, inspection & enforcement.

12. Article: Child among four killed in bus-lorry crash (The Star, 28 July 2011) – Another bus crash, more deaths & injuries:

Four people, including a father and his young son, were killed and 30 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a trailer lorry at Km201.5 of the North-South Expressway yesterday.

The dead were identified as Constable Abdul Shaheer Abu Hassan, 23, his 20-month-old son Muhammad Faris Daniel, lorry driver A. Yogeswara Rao and attendant K. Supramaniam, both 30.

Seriously injured were Shaheer’s 24-year-old wife, Fauziah Mokhtar, who was reported to be in critical condition, and bus driver Muhamad Azizi Abdul Rahman. They were warded at the Taiping Hospital.

Also warded were 22-year-old army Private Jebat Abdul Samarudin and Indonesians Jasmani and Hadiyanto, 41 and 46 respectively.

[TRANSIT: You may want to read the NST article: Bus-lorry crash claims 4 lives

13. Hotline Story: Bus driver from hell (Malay Mail, 29 July 2011) – Maxwell Kok of KL describes the eccentric behaviour of a RapidKL bus driver