Green Plus Issu 14

COLUMN
A city built around the car means less space for
pedestrians and cyclists. According to a report
from the World Health Organization (WHO),
Malaysia has one of the most physically inactive
populations in the world, with more than 50%
of the population classified as being “inactive”,
while the global average is only at about 20%.
Being “inactive” is classified as having less than
150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per
week, such as a brisk walk. Compared to countries
with a strong cycling culture, Malaysia is
more than three times inactive than
for example the Netherlands (The
Economist). The UK Department of
Health has termed inactivity as the
“silent killer” or “the new smoking”.
This should come as no surprise as
the lack of physical exercise is known
to lead to various dangerous health
conditions such as obesity, diabetes,
heart disease and various forms of
cancer (WHO).
Long congested morning and
afternoon commutes are also associated
with higher stress levels. In
Malaysia, a report by the renowned
market analysis consultants, Frost &
Sullivan, discovered that over 40% of
Malaysians found road congestion as
their number one frustration. In the
long run, excessive stress can have
health consequences, which will be
costly to treat. On the whole, commuting
seems to lead to a general
decrease in happiness and individual
well-being.
CAUSES OF CONGESTION:
OWNERSHIP OR USAGE?
The key cause of congestion is the lack of
public transportation options, coupled with
increased car ownership as a result of urbanization.
Over 70% of Malaysia’s population now
live in urban centres, compared to 40% in 1985.
As income increases, the desire/ability to own
a car also increases. Increased car ownership
does not necessarily lead to road congestion on
its own, it only becomes a problem if everyone
uses their car on a daily basis. For example, you
can use your car on weekends, but commute
daily using public transport. The lack of comprehensive
public transport options, the long
connecting/waiting times, and the problem of
getting to and from key public transportation
lines (the first and last mile problem), means
at times it can take people up to three times
longer to commute with public transport than
by car (World Bank, 2015). This has led to 80%
of inhabitants in KL using their private car for
their daily commute. However, where public
transport options are available, e.g. in Hong
Kong and Singapore, private car use for commuting
is only 10% and 40%, respectively.
HIGH PRIVATE COSTS
Moreover, the lack of a comprehensive
public transportation network further marginalizes
the poorest in the urban population.
Owning a car or a motorcycle further adds pressure
to their weak finances. Given the limited
alternate transport choices, there is almost no
way around owning a motorized vehicle. As a
proportion of an average household’s income,
Malaysians spend 50% more on transport compared
to households in cities with
effective public transportation, e.g.
Hong Kong or Tokyo (World Bank,
2015).
JAKARTA OR SINGAPORE?
Even with new roads and expressways,
congestion is still a growing
problem. Should Malaysia move
backwards and become as infamous
for its congestion as Jakarta? Or
should it adopt a different approach,
as is done in modern Asian cities
such as Singapore, Hong Kong or
Tokyo? One of the obvious solutions
is to build more public transportation
networks, for example with
the new MRT lines. The second step,
according to the World Bank, is to
create effective incentives to influence
behavior, i.e. to implement
effective taxation policies. Such policies
would include taxes on petrol,
congestion charges, increased toll
Greenplus TM MARCH 2016
47