Kaji dulu sebelum tambah laluan BRT, kata pakar

Selangor is contemplating the idea of expanding its BRT network to include Sunway's 5.4km route, which would pass through areas like Puchong, Glenmarie and Kwasa Damansara. According to transportation expert Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, the state should consider more factors before constructing additional BRT lanes. They argued that Selangor needs to assess whether there is a genuine need for wider BRT coverage, whether existing public transport services are sufficient to meet demand, and if everything can be integrated well.

Wan Agyl, founder and right-hand advisor of MY Mobility Vision, suggested that Selangor could consider using BRT as a supplement to regular bus and shuttle services. However, he told FMT that the state needs to first identify the patterns of travel and the gaps in the existing services. Last week, Selangor Investment, Trade and Mobility Exco Ng Sze Han announced plans to expand BRT coverage along the Sunway route, stretching 5.4km and including areas such as Puchong, Glenmarie and Kwasa Damansara.

The state government also considered learning from the larger BRT network in Jakarta. Rapid KL's BRT, which uses electric buses on a raised track, requires a specialized lane. Wan Agyl noted that some areas might only need better bus lanes with more frequent service, while others might require dedicated bus lanes. He emphasized that a BRT only makes sense if there is demand.

"The objective should be to build a better public transport network. Identify where the problem is in the network and choose the solution accordingly," he said. According to him, Selangor should also consider elevated lanes for BRT with elevated lanes only built at problem intersections or bottlenecks. Goh Bok Yen, head of transport planning, said that Klang Valley already has enough public transport options, but the main problem is the integration of MRT, LRT, and bus services.

"We have assets. We have resources. But everything functions separately," he told FMT, adding that public transport should be a cohesive system rather than separate services. Goh said that shuttle buses are still trapped in congestion like cars because there isn't enough bus lane space, and priority isn't given to buses at traffic lights.

He raised questions that should be considered by authorities - are they ready to provide more space for buses on highways compared to private cars? "Car usage is still easy and cheap, and more highways are being built in the city," he said. However, Goh did not completely dismiss the idea, instead viewing BRT as capable of filling gaps between rail lines.

He suggested extending Sunway BRT from USJ to Puchong and enabling it to connect with other LRT corridors. Academic transport scholar Ahmad Farhan Sadullah questioned whether Puchong, Glenmarie or Kwasa Damansara were the right places for BRT without studying the travel patterns of the majority. Farhan, a lecturer at Universiti Putra Malaysia, said BRT carried fewer passengers compared to LRT or MRT, and could complement rail lines that always have space, rather than compete with them.

He said one option is for BRT to carry passengers from densely populated areas without nearby rail services to continue their journey. Farhan said that the cost and space considerations are factors in deciding whether BRT should be built on the road or elevated. He said that on roadways, BRT requires its own dedicated lanes, separate from regular traffic. "If not, it's no different from regular bus service," he said.