Thursday, November 6, 2014

River Commuter Service in KL?

http://www.moviecomps.com/feelgoodbritain/prizes/thames_clippers.jpg

In my recent trip, I was fortunate to stop by London and rode the river commuter service along the Thames, about 10-km ride in approximately 40 minutes (average speed 15kph). It struck my mind that why can't we have such a river commuter system in Kuala Lumpur (KL) areas with Sungai Klang, Sungai Gombak and Sungai Batu as key river-ways?

A similar river trip on Sungai Klang between hypothetical docks near Plaza Tol Puchong Barat and KL Sentral would take about 50 minutes or so (peak-hour driving could easily exceed 90 minutes). The operational cost to transport per passenger would be much lower than other modes. The capital cost to deepen the rivers and increase clearances at bridges and locks could potentially be lower than building new highways or rail routes.

Technical and environmental impact analyses are needed to determine the feasibility of a river commuter system in KL. Historical water level along specific water routes need to be reviewed. Can a similar, high-capacity, catamaran ferry used in London be used on Sungai Klang? Or a lower-capacity, but more versatile hovercraft-like vehicle is more applicable (see example new technology from South Korea)? 

Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD) would certainly has the competency to lead such a feasibility study (note that the federal and state Jabatan Pengairan and Saliran - JPS are also key stakeholders). However, SPAD probably need a new mandate to include not just land transport (and drop the "D").

There are certainly benefits to adopt integrated multimodal transportation planning. In the context of intercity travel, a similar planning would determine the optimal mode(s) of transportation (for both passenger and freight) between different cities. For example KL-Ipoh or KL-JB can be better served by rail, so airlines could reduce or eliminate the short, but costly routes. The government can also allocate limited resources more optimally.