Download November 2005 Issue - Malaysian Institute of Planners

4BLOG PERANCANGAN (PLANNING BLOGS) by ePlannerplanning-blogs-by-the-eplanner2/10/05"Katrina" jam on Interstate has ano Q jumpers? Why aah?Did you see the pictures of thevehicles queuing on the freeway inHouston trying to escape hurricaneKatrina? If the scene was from ourNorth-South Expressway, you'd mostlikely see seven lanes of traffic onone side of the carriageway insteadof three. Like it or not, we have toadmit that a lot of Malaysian are selfcentredrecalcitrant behind thewheel.30/9/05More ugly neighbours!I think the architect and the owner ofthe house next door are self-centredbigots who like to live on a pedestalin a deserted island. The new ownersbought the semi-D property anddecided to renovate it. Unfortunatelythe architect has no sense ofharmony or continuity or conformityor scale. They are also unneighbourly.Yes, the ubiquitousgreat wall of the garden also cameup. Shouldn’t a major work like thisrequire planning permission? It isstrange that the plans were approvedby DBKL without consultation withthe immediate neighbours. In the UKI can easily get the Courts to orderthe garden wall be torn down forobstructing my morning sunlight.29/9/05We (Malaysians) are bad driversLet's admit it - Malaysians are simplyhorrible & irresponsible drivers. Weare simply very rude behind thewheels. Now we have resorted toramming into the policemen who tryto stop us! Two such cases reportedin Subang Jaya and Kelantan lastJuly. No amount of traffic engineering& traffic management can make ourroads safe until we change ourmindset. We are just a bunch ofhypocrites. Period.15/9/05STP is our future raw water supplyDon't laugh but it won't be longbefore our Sewage Treatment Plant(STP) becomes our main source ofraw water at the rate we are pollutingour rivers and destroying watercatchments. It is now cheaper totreat wastewater discharged fromsewage treatment plant than fromour rivers for our daily waterconsumption. In other words, thewater in our rivers are dirtier than theones discharged by our STP.12/9/05Kawasan "Kemudahan Awam/Rekreasi/Golf"Is a golf course a public area? I thinkit is erroneous to include golf coursesin a category that include public openspaces. It gives a misleading pictureof the ratio of open spaces topopulation level because golfcourses in this country are notaccessible to persons withoutmembership of the golf club thatoperates the golf courses.10/9/05BeggingHow much money do you give awayon a Sunday morning trip to themarket? Blind men, agencycollecting fund for Makna/WWF etc.,surau construction fund, orphanageconstruction fund, a man raising fundfor son's university fees (I bumpedinto this one at TTDI market carpark), ...What is our welfare departmentdoing nowadays? There seem to bea proliferation of 'beggars', bothorganised and individuals.3/9/05Terraced housing layoutHands up those who honestly thinkthe terraced housing layout is reallyideal? I just cannot figure out why westill think we need service roads thatruns parallel to the main road. Fromresidential areas built in the early1980s to the present, we still keepthe same layout configurationdespite creating awkward andhazardous junctions, and in extremecases, traffic congestion. A currenttrend is the residents fencing up theirbacklanes, thereby makingbacklanes totally inaccessible andredundant. Isn't it time we do seriousreview of the terrace housing layoutand the planning standards?1/9/05Did we ever teach our bus and taxidrivers to stop in the lay-by?We should not put poor people inhigh-rise buildings before they learnhow to live in one! It's a sure recipefor disaster. Squatters relocationprogramme should include a "highriseliving" orientation course. Now,do you still wonder why bus and taxidrivers don't stop in the lay-by?The bus driver that give way..?Why was I surprised when the stagebus driver gave way to let me out ofthe junction at Jalan TAR today? Itwas a the notorious Metrobus ...!!!20/8/05Highway interchange design -what is the convention?Highway engineers take note:ingress and egress from anyhighways should be from slow laneson the left, not the fast lanes. Period.6/8/05Airpark: a new way to utiliseunder-utilised airports?I don’t know if we have enoughmillionaires with private jets to makethis work but this could be anotherbird-brain idea that someone mighttake up one day. We can give newlease of life to underutilised airportsin Ipoh, Pangkor, Batu Berendamand even Subang. Or give a reasonfor Perlis to have an airport?28/7/05Have You Tried Using The PutraLine Between 8am & 9am OnWeekdays?Changing your routine could makeyou notice a lot of things, as I didBERITA PERANCANG