SHAH ALAM, June 5 - Selangor's prime urban areas will enjoy light rail transit (LRT) services within five years as the country's first developed state vies to rival Singapore in having the region's best public transportation system.
The LRT line will form a loop from Wilayah Persekutuan to Klang and straight on to Puchong, Bukit Jalil, Kajang, Ampang, Ulu Klang and Rawang, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said today.
The state government, he told Warkah Timur, has allocated around RM12 billion to enhance the LRT system under the Ninth Malaysia Plan by way of Private Finance Initiatives.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had announced last August that the LRT line from Kelana Jaya will be extended to Subang Jaya and USJ, while the Sri Petaling line will cover Puchong, in addition to a new line to Damansara.
Mohamad Khir told Bernama in an interview here that his government intends to extend the line from Kelana Jaya to Klang as well and from there to link up with Puchong.
While having new roads and highways will not necessarily improve traffic congestion in urban and suburban areas, he is confident that enhancing the LRT services offers a more effective solution.
"That's why we cannot keep building roads and highways in the Klang Valley. In the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor alone, every month there are 35,000 new cars on the road. Even squatters or low-cost house residents are asking for two parking lots each," he said.
"While the number of motorcycles is now reducing tremendously, the number of cars is increasing daily. So, the public needs to be given the best choice of public transport.
"It is either you take your own car or take the best public transportation. We cannot force the public to choose the worst, but we can force the public to choose the best.
"It will also have less political impact," he added in jest.
As much as the state wants to improve its public transportation, Mohamad Khir said, Selangor also wishes to be fully broadband-enabled by 2008, and it has already started with the Klang Valley Broadband Push Programme.
He said Energy, Water and Communication Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission have agreed to help with the initiative.
"Just as with the transport system, we are going to compare Klang Valley's ICT with Singapore, apple-to-apple. That is our aim," he said.
The state has already embarked on a few private-initiative ICT towns, such as that being developed by I-Bhd.
"I understand that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has decided to widen the concept of Cyberjaya.
"So any factory or industrial area that has multimedia (credentials) will be awarded special licences and they will get incentives," he said.
Mohamad Khir said Malaysia as a whole cannot be compared with Singapore's steady technology advances and rapid transportation, "but for Klang Valley, we can compare with Singapore apple-to-apple within five years if we can provide more in terms of ICT and public transportation system."
The LRT line will form a loop from Wilayah Persekutuan to Klang and straight on to Puchong, Bukit Jalil, Kajang, Ampang, Ulu Klang and Rawang, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said today.
The state government, he told Warkah Timur, has allocated around RM12 billion to enhance the LRT system under the Ninth Malaysia Plan by way of Private Finance Initiatives.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had announced last August that the LRT line from Kelana Jaya will be extended to Subang Jaya and USJ, while the Sri Petaling line will cover Puchong, in addition to a new line to Damansara.
Mohamad Khir told Bernama in an interview here that his government intends to extend the line from Kelana Jaya to Klang as well and from there to link up with Puchong.
While having new roads and highways will not necessarily improve traffic congestion in urban and suburban areas, he is confident that enhancing the LRT services offers a more effective solution.
"That's why we cannot keep building roads and highways in the Klang Valley. In the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor alone, every month there are 35,000 new cars on the road. Even squatters or low-cost house residents are asking for two parking lots each," he said.
"While the number of motorcycles is now reducing tremendously, the number of cars is increasing daily. So, the public needs to be given the best choice of public transport.
"It is either you take your own car or take the best public transportation. We cannot force the public to choose the worst, but we can force the public to choose the best.
"It will also have less political impact," he added in jest.
As much as the state wants to improve its public transportation, Mohamad Khir said, Selangor also wishes to be fully broadband-enabled by 2008, and it has already started with the Klang Valley Broadband Push Programme.
He said Energy, Water and Communication Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission have agreed to help with the initiative.
"Just as with the transport system, we are going to compare Klang Valley's ICT with Singapore, apple-to-apple. That is our aim," he said.
The state has already embarked on a few private-initiative ICT towns, such as that being developed by I-Bhd.
"I understand that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has decided to widen the concept of Cyberjaya.
"So any factory or industrial area that has multimedia (credentials) will be awarded special licences and they will get incentives," he said.
Mohamad Khir said Malaysia as a whole cannot be compared with Singapore's steady technology advances and rapid transportation, "but for Klang Valley, we can compare with Singapore apple-to-apple within five years if we can provide more in terms of ICT and public transportation system."