LRT3 is ready, but MBSA is not

The opening of LRT3 on June 29 should have been a proud moment for Shah Alam. After all, the brand-new public transit system was officiated by none other than the prime minister himself.

For the first time, the Selangor state capital is directly connected to the Klang Valley’s expanding rail network through five stations within the jurisdiction of the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA): Kerjaya, Stadium Shah Alam, Dato’ Menteri, UiTM Shah Alam and Seksyen 7.

Yet, only days into operations, a glaring problem has emerged. The trains are running, the stations are open and passengers are arriving, but in many areas, the pedestrian infrastructure needed to access these stations simply does not exist.

Minor oversight? No, this is not a minor oversight. It goes to the very heart of what makes public transport tick, and work.

Rail stations do not begin and end at the platform. Their success depends heavily on what transport planners call the “first mile” and “last mile” connections — the crucial links at the beginning or end of a journey that take passengers from their homes, workplaces or other destinations to and from the station itself.

If people cannot safely and comfortably walk to the station, they will drive.

If they must walk on the roads, which were designed for cars but not for pedestrians, then something is very wrong. Roads without pavements are not designed with pedestrians in mind.

If pedestrians, or in this case LRT3 users, have to cross dangerous intersections or walk under the scorching sun without shade, many will simply return to using private cars.

Without the first mile connectivity, the LRT3, no matter how near its stations are, won’t be attractive to many potential users. It then becomes underutilised, not because the trains are poor, but because access to them is inconvenient.

Perplexing

This situation is particularly perplexing because LRT3 did not appear overnight.

The project was first announced in 2015. Construction spanned more than a decade, ultimately taking nearly 11 years before operations commenced.

Throughout this period, station locations, alignments and opening timelines were publicly known. There was ample time for planning.

One would reasonably expect MBSA, as the local authority responsible for urban planning and public amenities within Shah Alam, to have incorporated pedestrian connectivity into its development plans long before the line became operational.

Questions therefore need to be asked.

Was there no inter-agency coordination between the project owner, transport authorities and MBSA?

Were pedestrian improvements never budgeted for? Was there an assumption that private vehicles would continue to dominate access to the stations?

If so, it reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of modern public transport planning.

Globally, successful transit systems are built on the principle that stations must be integrated into the surrounding urban fabric.

Footpaths, covered walkways, safe crossings, cycling lanes, feeder buses and universal accessibility features are not optional extras. They are essential infrastructure.

The irony is that Shah Alam is one of Malaysia’s best planned cities. It has broad roads, orderly zoning and substantial public land reserves.

In many areas, there is physically sufficient space to construct quality pedestrian infrastructure. The absence of such facilities therefore cannot be explained by land constraints.

Rather, it appears to be a failure of anticipation and not giving priority to users of public transport.

This matters because billions of ringgit have been invested in LRT3. Its objective was not to enrich contractors by building concrete viaducts, columns, railway tracks and stations.

It was to change travel behaviour, reduce congestion and encourage greater use of public transport.

Those objectives become much harder to achieve if potential passengers are forced to drive to the station simply because walking is not catered for, impractical or unsafe.

Public confidence

The issue is also one of public confidence. Citizens rightly expect government agencies to work in concert.

They do not distinguish between federal authorities, state agencies, municipal councils or transport agencies and operators.

To the public, government is a single ecosystem.

When a major transport project opens without proper pedestrian access, it creates the impression that agencies are operating in silos, with each focusing narrowly on its own responsibilities rather than delivering a complete mobility solution to the public.

The lesson here is straightforward. Building rail infrastructure alone is insufficient. Public transport works in tandem with other forms of connectivity; walking, cycling, e-mobility, public buses, taxis and private transport. In other words, every component matters.

LRT3 may be operational, but the job is only half done.

MBSA should urgently identify missing pedestrian links around all five stations, prioritise the construction of continuous pavements and covered walkways, improve road crossings and ensure that feeder services integrate seamlessly with the rail network.

After waiting more than a decade for LRT3, Shah Alam residents deserve more than just stations and trains.

They deserve a city that cares and allows them to reach those stations safely, comfortably and conveniently on foot.

Because in public transport, the first 500 metres often determine whether the entire 37km route network succeeds or fails.

The author can be reached at: [email protected].

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.