Making Greater KL one of world’s most liveable cities
Date：2014/11/15
![]()
SUSTAINABLE highway and railway development through careful planning, design and execution provides positive social, economic and environmental values.
A proper integration of public transport will complement the urban development of a city and establish more liveable communities under the banner of sustainable development. Liveable communities are places with high social and environmental quality where people have access to the necessary facilities and amenities, including public transportation, work place, healthcare services, entertainment and recreation.
The key focus for sustainable road and railway development is how the two are designed to interface with the city to bring about the potential benefits.
Many countries have recognised the importance of linking the developed towns and districts throughout cities with new highways and railway lines. Their goal is not only to become one of the most liveable cities in the world but to provide sustainable and quality living standards for its residents.
According to a global survey from the consulting firm Mercer, Vienna, Austria’s opulent capital, offers the best quality of life of any city in the world. Zurich, Munich, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt made it to the top 10. Kuala Lumpur is at No. 80.
The assessments are based on 39 criteria, including political stability, healthcare, education, crime, recreation and transport and environmental developments.
The aim to make Greater Kuala Lumpur a sustainable and livable city can easily be achieved with high-quality infrastructure, green spaces and developing inner city residential areas.
Developments like the Klang Valley mass rapid transit system (KVMRT), the Ampang and Kelana Jaya light rail transit (LRT) line extension, increasing pedestrian walkways and the Klang River beautification project to promote recreation, urban revitalisation and real estate development will contribute in making Kuala Lumpur one of the most liveable cities in the world by 2020.
Under the Budget 2015, the government announced the implementation of several highway and railway projects starting next year, worth a combined RM76 billion.
Topping the list of new projects are Line 2 of the KVMRT from Sungai Buloh to Putrajaya (RM23 billion), LRT Line 3 between Bandar Utama and Klang (RM9 billion), and Pan-Borneo Highway (RM27 billion).
Several new highway projects will also commence in the Klang Valley. They include the Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Expressway (Suke), the West Coast Expressway from Taiping to Banting, the Damansara-Shah Alam Highway (Dash) and the Eastern Klang Valley Expressway.
Goh Bok Yen, an urban, land use and transportation planning consultant firm, said the construction of Suke and Dash will complete the loop around Greater Kuala Lumpur and enhance accessibility and connectivity to townships and property development projects as far as Port Klang, Kuala Selangor,Rawang, Putrajaya, Sungai Besi, Kajang and Bangi.
“These are the only missing links in completing the loop. Certainly, all the railway and road projects will create new development tracks. That is one of the logical ways to start creating mobility along the corridor of the mass transportation system. However, when selecting the alignment and choosing the transport hub or stations, we must be very careful to minimise the impact, particularly to the already developed areas.
“All railway and road projects will definitely improve the living standards of Malaysians as there will be better access and connectivity to townships and property development projects,” Goh told Property Times.
Suke will start from Sri Petaling and pass through Sungai Besi, Desa Tun Razak, Alam Damai, Bukit Manda’rina, Taman Len Seng, Taman Bukit Cheras, Taman Bukit Permai, Taman Putra, Taman Permai Jaya, Taman Dagang Permai, Taman Kosas, Ampang, Taman Hillview and exit at Ulu Klang.
It will serve as a link between Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2), Damansara-Ulu Klang Expressway (Duke), Ampang Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (Akleh), Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road (Klorr), the Sungai Besi extension, Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Highway, Cheras-Kajang Highway, Besraya Highway and Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas).
Dash will commence at the Puncak Perdana U10 Shah Alam intersection and will link areas such as Puncak Perdana, Alam Suria, Denai Alam and Kampung Melayu Subang. Dash will also link road users to LDP and Sprint highways.
“There will be a link from Dash to the Guthrie Corridor. From there, motorists can travel towards the LDP to go to Damansara Perdana and Penchala Link, to head on to Mont’ Kiara. From Mont’ Kiara, they can use Duke to head to Ulu Klang and the MMR2. Suke will bring motorists to the North South Expressway. From there, they can join Kesas and head straight to Port Klang or use MEX to go to Putrajaya. I feel that with all these connectivity, more people would be willing to leave in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur,” Goh said.