As most rural transport in this area utilized private cars, vans and the four wheel drive utility vehicles one would find this town's traffic is very congested.
To me this is most unfortunate as this impact the mobility of visitors to this town. The town has many unique attractions for tourists visiting Sabah. The local authority and Sabah Tourism need to do something about the situation.
Pruned: The Escalators of Hong Kong
Photographer and Polar Inertia editor Mac Kane writes:
Twisting up through the narrow streets of Hong Kong is the world’s longest escalator system, spanning over 800m. The escalators, moving walkways and pedestrian bridges connect the downtown financial district to the mid-levels, a upscale neighborhood of condominium towers where many executives live. The escalator system was conceived to alleviate car traffic by helping commuters travel efficiently to work while providing protection from rain. The escalators have proven to be very popular, carrying over 45,000 people a day.
In the last few weeks I have seen on television catastrophic natural disasters like floods, earthquake, storms and accidents happening all over the world. Often wonders what roles do transport play in providing relief to all those victims. I found an article about the versatility of helicopters which is very interesting. ...AzmokhtarThe Use Of Helicopters For Disaster Relief
Helicopters have become an indispensable aid for dealing with disasters. They particularly come into their own when they are put into operation during the initial stages after the disaster has taken place. People who have fallen victim to a catastrophe or are endangered by a disaster cannot afford to wait until a “clearer picture” of the damage has been established. In fact, the helicopter can contribute towards establishing this picture, and as a result should be promptly called out as soon as “a major occurrence” has taken place. It is advisable that the procedures for rescue operations of this kind are prepared in advance by an authorised body. The final decision-making powers should be delegated as far as possible to those at the scene of the disaster. Otherwise considerable time might be wasted which could lead to very serious consequences
Recenly the price of fuel has been on an increasing trend, globally. Those country that produces oil, the impact of the increases is lesser felt compared to those who depended fully from oil imports.
Malaysia like other countries had raised the price of fuel. And because of this action there are many chain reactions resulting in other increases of manufactured products, foods and services.
From a transport professional perspective, this situation will require changes in travel behaviours.
People should use more public transportation. Or pooling together for common trips. And using more productive modes. For example moving goods by rail is cheaper than trucking it on roads for longer distances. Inland waterways is another potential and cheaper alternative.
Governments at federal, state and local level should be facilitators and role models to ease the public difficulties. They should develop comprehensive plans to be implemented at all levels across the country. Prefessionals should be engaged in helping to resolve this common issue. Politics alone won't solve the issues and problems.
If we walk thru the streets in many major towns in Malaysia, one would wonder...What happened to the elderlies?Keep Mobile - Transport for Elderly and Disabled Borough Residents
There are so few of them on the streets. In fact is difficult to find one!!
Why?
I think it is because of their peculiar requirements that have impaired their mobility. Perhaps they need some special services to enhance their mobility.
I found some information, which I paste below that we in Malaysia could ponder and plan...Azmokhtar
Keep Mobile - Transport for Elderly and Disabled Borough
ResidentsKeep Mobile is an established voluntary organisation, designed specially to provide transport for elderly and disabled borough residents enabling them to retain their independence.ServicesKeep Mobile provides the following services, all of which are door to door:
* Dial A Ride (DAR) - Members can telephone to book a journey anywhere up to 15 miles from your home. Members must book their journey at least 2 days in advance.
* Long Distance Personal Travel - Members can be transported to any destination in the UK. All transportation is subject to vehicle availability.
* Shopping Trips - A regular weekly service to local towns with sufficient time to shop or meet friends.
* Day Excursions - Trips to places of interest as published in the Members Monthly Programme. MembershipMembership is open to anyone who is disabled (whatever age) and elderly people.
Self certification is all that is needed, there is normally no independent evidence required. You will need to reside in the areas covered by Bracknell Forest Borough Council.Membership costs £1.00 for life and entitles you to the Dial A Ride Service.
To receive the Monthly Programme and the newsletter there is a yearly subscription, which at this time is £12 per year. This entitles you to Keep Mobile's other services such as the Day Excursions.
A full membership therefore costs £13.00.If you would like to join please contact Keep Mobile using the details on the right.Booking Line (08453 456 696)For DIAL A RIDE and shopping trips only. Bookings require at least 2 days notice.This number is usually manned between 9am and 1pm, Monday to Friday. If you get an answerphone you can leave your transport request by giving name, destination, departure time, appointment time (if any) and return time. Please phone the following day for confirmation of the trip.General Enquiry Line (01189 793 778)For all enquiries and other calls.Our office hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Occasionally the office may be unmanned if a volunteer has been called out to drive or escort (our top priority). Please leave a short message on the answerphone and someone will call you back.
In Malaysia, there are new governments being formed after the 12th general elections, at the federal and state level. Irrespective of which political parties, all the elected governments promise to deliver better service to the population at large. If one area I would like to see major improvements is in the area of public transportation.Bus rapid transit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The articles below can be a good starting point for all the elected representatives...
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that, through improvements to infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling, attempt to use buses to provide a service that is of a higher quality than an ordinary bus line. Each BRT system uses different improvements, although many improvements are shared by many BRT systems. The goal of such systems is to at least approach the service quality of rail transit while still enjoying the cost savings of bus transit. The expression BRT is mainly used in North America; in Europe, it is often called busway, while elsewhere, one may speak of quality bus or simply bus service while raising the quality.
To read more pls click below....
Curitiba Brazil, Livable City
The first time I went there, I had never heard of Curitiba. I had no idea that its bus system was the best on Earth or that a municipal shepherd and his flock of 30 sheep trimmed the grass in its vast parks. It was just a midsize Brazilian city where an airline schedule forced me to spend the night midway through a long South American reporting trip. I reached my hotel, took a nap, and then went out in the early evening for a walk – warily, because I had just come from crime-soaked Rio. But the street in front of the hotel was cobbled, closed to cars, and strung with lights. It opened onto another such street, which in turn opened into a broad and leafy plaza, with more shop-lined streets stretching off in all directions. Though the night was frosty –Brazil stretches well south of the tropics, and Curitiba is in the mountains – people strolled and shopped, butcher to baker to bookstore. There were almost no cars, but at one of the squares, a steady line of buses rolled off, full, every few seconds. I walked for an hour, and then another. I felt my shoulders, hunched from the tension of Rio (and probably New York as well) straightening. Though I flew out the next day as scheduled, I never forgot the city.
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Welcome to SBS Transit
SBS Transit aims to provide world-class public transport which is safe, comfortable, affordable, reliable and friendly. Today, SBS Transit operates 234 route services with a scheduled fleet of more than 2,700 buses. The buses serve 16 interchanges and more than 3,000 bus stops. In 2003, SBS Transit started its light rail operations in Sengkang and also started operating its Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, the North East Line (NEL) in the same year. In 2005, SBS Transit began operating the Punggol LRT System.
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``HEY BABY!"''Hey baby!'' - The Boston Globe
Ask a man about ``street harassment" and he might mention the homeless guy shaking a change cup near his workplace.
Ask a woman, and the response probably takes a different form, often with tales of men yelling remarks like those above, all reported on Boston streets. Or worse, you may hear stories of men who hiss, grunt, whistle, grope, and stalk.
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Urban Safety and Crime Prevention
S. Akbar Zaidi Karachi, Pakistan wrote ...
The theme for this year's World Habitat Day, is Safer Cities, perhaps in acknowledgment of the growing concern about escalating urban violence, crime and insecurity amongst residents of cities around the globe. As a worldwide phenomenon, urban violence is believed to have grown by between three to five percent a year over the last twenty years, with certain cities showing significant variations at different times. According to Habitat's Global Report on Human Settlements 1996, 'violent crime has increased in most cities in recent years. Homicide, infanticide, assault, rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence now make up between 25 and 30 percent of urban crime in many countries'
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This web page is a must for all transport professionals and students...WorldChanging: Award-Winning Solutions Journalism
WorldChanging.com works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it's here. We only need to put the pieces together.
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East Coast Economic Region
Welcome to ECERThe East Coast Economic Region (ECER), covering the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and the district of Mersing in Johor, is set to become Malaysia's latest and most exciting region offering diverse business opportunities to potential investors.Located strategically in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the ECER is well placed to become a major trade and industrial gateway, offering investors access to the vast, burgeoning markets of the Asia Pacific region and beyond, encompassing a vibrant market of about two billion people.
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NCER - About UsThe Northern Corridor Economic Region development programme is a Government initiative to accelerate economic growth and elevate income levels in the north of Peninsular Malaysia – encompassing the states of Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang and the north of Perak1. The NCER initiative will span from 2007 to the end of the 12th Malaysia Plan period, i.e. 2025.There are a number of objectives behind the NCER initiative. Firstly, the programme is part of the Government’s commitment to helping the Region maximise its economic potential and closing the development and income gap between the different regions in Malaysia. Secondly, the Malaysian economy aims to move towards higher value-add and knowledge-based economic activities to drive further increases in per capita income. The NCER has the potential to make Malaysia a regional leader in a number of these sub-sectors.
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