Alternative public transport system in Klang Valley

With the construction of new LRT extensions going full swing, housing areas in Puchong, Subang and USJ will see dramatic changes in the way residents move around in the near future.

Together with proper feeder bus service in place, hopefully most commuters can start to abandon their cars, and seriously consider public transport as the way to get around once all the extension work has been completed.

That in turn will cut down our traffic congestion, saving valuable commute time for most commuters.

However, if we study the grand scheme of things, the highly populated Bandar Sunway is not benefiting from any of the LRT extensions.

In fact, none of the extended LRT lines even come near Bandar Sunway.

Quietly though, Bandar Sunway and Prasarana are coming up with a new BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system, an elevated dedicated road system for buses only, linking KTM line at Setia Jaya station (next to Federal Highway) to new Kelana Jaya LRT extension line station at USJ 6 (one stop down from Summit).

Halt 1 at Setia Jaya - Halt 7 at USJ 6

The system is completely new in Malaysia. In a way, starting a brand new chapter in public transport system in this country. Basically instead of using trains, buses will be used on the elevated tracks.

There are a total of seven stations (call Halts) along the tracks at all the busy spots along the line.

Elevated bus lanes

Stations call Halt

From the look of it, the advantage of the system comparing to train system are cheaper cost, and tighter turning radius of the tracks, making it suitable for high density area like Bandar Sunway.

The construction of the BRT system has been going on concurrently with LRT line extensions. If anyone drives around Bandar Sunway, all the elevated structures they are building are meant to be for the BRT system.

BRT construction in front of Sunway University

Construction of elevated BRT system

In a way Bandar Sunway BRT acts as some sort of feeder bus system connecting KTM line to LRT line, giving commuters from Bandar Sunway access to other mass transit system.

When the BRT system is completed in 2015, we will be able to gauge if this system is suitable and can be expanded for other parts of the Klang Valley.

So instead of building more tolled highways like Kidex, who knows, together with more MRT and LRT lines, this may be the future of public transport that can solve our traffic woes.

Proposed KIDEX hghway briefing in Bandar Kinrara

The KIDEX roadshow finally arrived in Bandar Kinrara.

Last Saturday morning (29th, March 2014) representatives from KIDEX together with MPSJ, and Kinrara assemblyman Ng Sze Han were present at Bandar Kinrara BK2 community hall to brief the residents about the upcoming project KIDEX, or Kinrara-Damansara Expressway.
 

Residents attending the briefing at BK2 hall

To cut a long story short, these are what the residents in Bandar Kinrara were briefed during the meeting.

1. The highway will be 14.9km in length starting from NKVE, and ends at Bukit Jalil Highway next to Bandar Kinrara Giant supermarket. There will be two toll plazas along the highway with toll rate to be determined later.

KIDEX highway layout

 2. The whole length of the highway will be completely elevated with a single pier "T" shape concrete structure. Height of the structures varies from 8m to 16m. In other words, KIDEX highway will be built on top of existing roads. None of the existing roads will be taken away and made into tolled roads like LDP highway.

Section view of the elevated highway

3. Some of the private properties will be acquired by KIDEX to accommodate the construction of the highway. However, it will only be about 10% of what was originally reported, as KIDEX will only acquire land under section 8 act, which covers a lot less land than initially fear by residents staying adjacent to the proposed highway. Most of the acquired land will be near the interchange as the ramps that need more space will encroach further into the private properties.

Land acquired based on section 8 act, not section 4

4. Closer to our area, KIDEX will cross KESAS highway, runs on top of Jalan TK 2/7, cut across army camp to Jalan Kinrara 1, and ends at Jalan Kinrara 6 near Giant supermarket (based on the map provided in the briefing).

Approximate route of  KIDEX highway in Bandar Kinrara

In the future, there is also another SKIP (Serdang-Kinrara-Putrajaya) highway in the pipeline that is supposed to join to KIDEX highway at Jalan Kinrara 6, as reported here way back in year 2011.

The briefing ends with a Q and A session. Some of the concerns that residents have:

Q: Is my property going to be acquired?
A: It is not finalized yet at this moment

Q: Will the noise level be too much?
A: There will be sound barrier wall to reduce the noise to acceptable level

Q: Any EIA or traffic study reports available for public viewing?
A: No. The documents are considered "classified". It can only be released to public with government approval. 

Q: Can the highway be toll free?
A: This is not up the KIDEX representative to decide, who are just a concessionaire taking on the project. The concessionaire needs to collect toll to recuperate their investment.

There were also some questions raised that were not answered immediately.

Kinrara assemblyman Ng Sze Han raised the question why there is no diamond interchange at Bukit Jalil Highway and KESAS highway. 

For example, from KIDEX motorists can exit to Bukit Jalil towards Kuala Lumpur direction and not Sunway direction. Similarly, motorists coming from Kuala Lumpur on Bukit Jalil Highway will not be able to get on KIDEX. 

The questionable Bukit Jalil highway interchange

Artist's aerial view impression of Bukit Jalil highway interchange

Ng Sze Han was also concerned why no EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) and traffic study reports were made available for the public. There should be transparency to allow the public to fully understand the impact KIDEX highway will bring to the affected areas.

Many residents are also worried that instead of easing traffic, KIDEX will be like LDP, bringing more traffic jam to our area. 

One resident even suggested KIDEX should end at KESAS, which is a proper highway that might be able to handle the additional traffic coming to our area.

Overall the response from residents had been lukewarm at best, uncertain what the highway will bring to the residents of Bandar Kinrara in the future.

So is KIDEX highway a sure thing?

Will it ease traffic as promised?

No one can answer that.

However, one thing is for sure.

Anyone staying in Bandar Kinrara driving to work daily knows how painful it is to deal with the rush hour traffic at Bukit Jalil highway.

It is unlikely KIDEX highway will change that for the better.

KIDEX highway

As reported back in August 2011 in this blog, Kinrara centre of it all, one of the highways highlighted, KIDEX highway, linking Kinrara with Damansara is gaining a lot of attention in the news recently.

According to The Edge (Oct, 24th 2013), the highway will be 13.5km long starting from NKVE in damansara, passing by several housing areas before reaching BK1 and BK2, joining to Bukit Jalil Highway, and ends in BK 6.

Proposed KIDEX highway

(KIDEX news Facebook page)

The map below shows roughly how the highway will cut through Bandar Kinrara at BK1 and BK2, joins to Bukit Jalil Highway and finally ends just slightly pass Giant supermarket.

The probable route of KIDEX highway at Bandar Kinrarra

There is also rumor that the lands belonging to more than three thousand house owners will be affected by the construction of this highway, including those in Kinrara area.

Possible acquisition of land affected by KIDEX highway

Partial list of houses that may be affected

The full document showing all the plots that may be affected can be viewed here (114 pages).

It is probably too early to guess what will happen to these plots. However, if things were done like it was in the past, by the time the land owners found out the project is approved, they may have already lost their homes.

Don't forget that there is also a SKIP highway (Serdang-Kinrara-Putrajaya) in the pipeline that will probably be the extension of  KIDEX highway at BK6 going towards Serdang and Putrajaya.

There is no telling what will happen in the future if all these projects are materialized.

Bandar Kinrara may get better access to other areas with all the new highways.

On the other hand, Bukit Jalil Highway may become the biggest parking lot, with stand still traffic at all times, due to all the traffic converging at the same point.

Biggest parking lot in Malaysia?

(Find latest KIDEX highway news here) 

Updated 31st, March 2014