All the Best to ITT-BTS

Finally, it seems that all bus operators agree to relocate to the new Integrated Transportation Terminal- Bandar Tasik Selatan (ITT-BTS) and start operation by March 1st according to todays paper.
There will be more than 50 bus operators to start using the state-of-the-art facility.
There will be 34 bus operators to have their own e-ticketing counters to sell their own ticket. Others will have to use counters operated by the ITT-BTS system.

Hope this time all of the bus operators will respect the 1st March dateline so that Malaysia can start thinking about other ways of improving the public transportation system besides just providing the state-of-the-art facility. Other issues that should be addressed next is interconnectivity, reliability and accessibility.

All the best to ITT-BTS.

Wan Hashim

Kuala Lumpur Hit by Flash Flood Again

Wondering on why it is always congested during rainy seasons? It is usually due to flash floods at main roads. One of the worst nightmares of the city dwellers is when their vehicles are inundated by flood water.

Due to flooding, it is equivalent to traffic gridlock where none of vehicles are able to move causing massive traffic jam along other adjacent roads.

For example, it was reported that several roads in Kuala Lumpur hit by floods after heavy down pour. Heavy rains causes several rivers such as Sungai Gombak and Sungai Bonus to overflow and causes flash flood at main roads.

May be it is time for the city to construct more storm sewer such as the Smart Tunnel to divert excess water during heavy down pour to designated storage areas.

Read related entry about Flash Flood and Traffic Jam.

Free Broadband

If you are travelling using ERL (Express Rail Link), you can experience the super fast YES broadband.

The only problem is that you can only enjoy the service for about 28 minutes, i.e. the travelling time from KLIA to KL Sentral and vice versa. Due to the limited amount of time, the service can be utilized using Wi-Fi enabled hand phone.

It is a good way for the company to promote the experience using the newly introduced YES broadband.

I am not sure yet whether the service is available also for the KLIA Transit.

Guava Anyone

So far, this is the only stall that sell fresh guava that I have seen. It is the only stall located at Desa Ilmu. From my observation, there are a lot of customers wanted to have the fresh guava.

But I haven't had a chance to try it yet. May be one day I will try the so called fresh Guava or Jambu.

The New Opening Date for the Renovated Puduraya Bus Station

Well the new opening of the renovated Puduraya bus station is postponed to April 16 due to some more works need to be carried out by the contractors.


I am eager to know the effect of the renovation on the passengers comfort and safety besides the effect of the bus station on traffic congestion of the surrounding area.

Unless the bus parking bays are increased, buses will park outside the bus station and causing severe traffic congestion.

The station was closed in April 2010 for RM52 Million upgrading works, but the works were delayed due to additional work on the base of the building.


The Cabinet has directed both Integrated Transportation Terminal-Bandar Tasik Selatan (ITT-BTS) and Puduraya to be operational on March 1.

Related entry about Puduraya Bus Terminal HERE.

Now Lawyers' Turn to Increase Fees

Lawyers' fees increase is expected to be between 300% and 400% this year, according to the Bar Council. Wow, that is a lot of money to pay to lawyers.
If normally the fee is around RM2000, you might have to fork out between RM8,000 to RM10,000 if the fee is being increased.

They cited their own reasons for increasing the fee. I think that is one way to become a high income profession. However, those who need their services will have to stay with their much lower income (part of their income goes to very expensive service).

So, all things that require the service of lawyers will also increase in price.

Lately, all sort of prices seemed to increase. Latest is the traffic fines; the fines increases as you delay making the payment. At least, if you pay the fines A.S.A.P., it will not be much of a problem.

Pay Your Traffic Fines A.S.A.P.

Under the new structure system used for all offences under the Road Transport Act, and involve all enforcement agencies, including local authorities, the more you delay the more you pay. The restructured system will take effect all fines issued from March 1.

So pay your traffic fines As Soon As Possible (A.S.A.P.). The best of all is tried not to get any fines if that is at all possible. Good luck everybody. Hopefully, our road will be safer and number of accidents will reduce drastically.

The best ever approach is to use public transport. You will not be fined for any offences by using public transport unless you litter or vandalize the facilities. But wait until the public transportation system is really efficient and reliable, otherwise you will get fine by your employer for always being late to work.

Radio Controlled Power Boat

Several radio controlled power boat enthusiasts demonstrated their ability to maneuver their sophisticated boat at the nearby lake. It has been a while that I wanted to take pictures of the boat in actions. Last Sunday had the opportunity to come up close to the location and took several pictures of the boat.





One of the enthusiasts fully occupied controlling his boat.





Staging area for them to maintain and operate their boats.

Hope you enjoy the remaining views of the action HERE.

Who’s coming for the TLS

Tomorrow’s Leaders Summit (TLS) will be held from 18 to 20 March 2011 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Tomorrow’s Leaders Summit is designed for Youth between the ages of 18-40 years old.

As Malaysia is gearing towards a high income economy, the need to develop human capital is becoming more apparent. It is very important to understand the Youth’s demand because it is the Youth that will shape the future of this country.

It is important to have a more systematic and rounded approach to the Youth development that is sustainable and inclusive. It is very important to address the method being used to develop tomorrow’s leaders. It is also equally important to identify tomorrow’s leaders. And the most important aspect is to understand the impact of Youth on your business.

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet people likes Ms Andrea Fonseka (Miss Universe Malaysia, 2004), Mr Geofrey Perrin Williams (Actor & Informed Youth), Ms Amber Chia (Fashion Model, Mother, Businesswoman), Mr Faisal Abdullah (Fashion designer), Ms Lina Teo (Miss Malaysia World 1999), Mr Harizal Zain (Director of Documentaries), Les Copaque (Upin Ipin Producer) and of course many more are coming to the Tomorrow's Leader Summit to share their knowledge, mingle and share their success with you.

Some Facts about Motorcycles

As compared to Malaysia, the number of motorcycles on the road in most major cities in Vietnam is very high which is more than 90% of the total number of vehicles on the road. In Malaysia, the number of motorcycles is a little bit more than 50% and yet the motorcycles created a lot of issues especially safety related issues. The high number of motorcycles also created unique problems with respect to the design and operations of road system in the country.

The reason for the high number of motorcycles in Vietnam is mainly attributed to their previous war: only a handful of people can afford to buy automobiles.

In Vietnam, the road is overwhelmed by motorcycles even though the road is not designed for motorcycles. If there are other types of vehicles on the road such as cars or Lorries, they have to give ways to motorcycles.

As in the picture above, sometime in 2004, motorcyclists were not required to wear safety helmet. However, nowadays, it is mandatory for motorcyclists to wear helmet in Vietnam. The only thing is that they can wear any kind of helmet as long as there are some sorts of helmet to cover their head. Soon they will realize that they also need to emphasize more on the appropriate type of helmet to be used by motorcyclists in order to provide better protection during accident.

Due to the high number of motorcycles on the road, it is very challenging situation for pedestrian to cross the road. It takes a lot of guts to cross the road safely. But through my observations, the motorcyclists in Vietnam also adapted themselves to ensure they will not hit pedestrians while they are crossing the street.

Finally, Mubarak Resigns

Mubarak handed power to the army after 18 days of relentless protests against his ruling parties. A military council would run the affairs of Egypt. So now Egypt is returning to the 1952 model of ruling the state via a council of army after the British-backed King Farouk was toppled in a military coup.


Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak rules Egypt for the past 30 years. Mubarak ruled Egypt since he took office after the assassination of Anwar Sadat at a military parade in 1981.


Today is just the end of the beginning of Egypt. We will see how the next Egypt will unfold. Hope for the best of its people.

There is a Wind Mill in Town

For sustainability, wind mill is the best option for energy given that the size and number of the wind mill is adequate to generate those required energy. Also don't forget about the adequacy of the wind surrounding the area. Usually wind mills are installed at a designated wind farm where the wind energy is very high and the wind usually blowing all year round.

In Malaysia, most of the time the air is stagnant and the blowing wind is only at a breezing level which usually cannot turn a not very large wind mill. The wind in Malaysia will not be able to be used to generate wind energy due to the unpredictable time the wind will be blowing.

The picture above was taken along a new section of the Kuching Water Front. The lighting system along the new section of the water front is supported using solar powered cells. The solar powered cells are installed throughout the new section of the Water Front. Don't be surprised that the wind turbine of the above picture will turn even when there is no wind. Also, if you look closely at the picture, there is a solar cell being installed on every poll of the so called wind turbine. So, in my opinion, the solar powered energy generated from the solar cell turns the wind turbine. It is not the case that the wind turns the wind turbine and eventually generates wind energy.

So the wind turbines along the new section of the Kuching water front are good for your eyes only and it gives aesthetically pleasant looking sceneries along the water front.

Missing You

This kitty, as in the picture above, is about a month old and yesterday morning it went missing from our house. May be he was wandering too far from our house and cannot find a way home to his mother. We had been searching for the little kitty in the surrounding areas and he is yet to be seen anywhere. Hope the little kitty will find its new owner who will take care of him tenderly. Several days ago, I managed to take a portrait of the kitty as in the picture above. Kind of cute isn't it. All of us are missing you.

Now, we are left with only one kitty. About a month ago, our cat was giving birth to four kitties. Sadly, after two days old, two of the kitties were fatally attacked by a deranged male cat. We had made sure that the deranged cat cannot sneak into our house again.

Newly Opened Elevated Walkway

The RM10 million elevated walkway linking Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) and Hotel Impiana KLCC was recently opened to public. The facility is 142-metre long and five-metre wide fully covered with air-conditioned which is disabled- friendly and equipped with elevators and escalators at both ends.

The facility is part of a series of walkways linking retail and tourism trail between Bukit Bintang and KLCC under the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley National Key Economic Area (NKEA) initiative.

Certainly, the facility will encourage the usage of using public transportation in Kuala Lumpur.

The facility will increase accessibility and mobility of commuters within the area and sooner or later users will find that it will be more convenient and cost saving to use public transport facilities within the Kuala Lumpur area.

Hopefully, the design and standard of pedestrian elevated walkway facilities will be provided also in other major cities in Malaysia.

The newly opened elevated walkway will for sure address the shortcoming of pedestrian overhead facilities as highlighted HERE. However, the local authority should be willing to spend the amount of money to construct such facilities.

Dilemma of Using Pedestrian Bridge

It was reported in the news that 28 out of 30 pedestrian bridges in the Klang Valley are unsafe for pedestrian use, especially at night. The bridges were obscured from view by billboards and tree branches. To complicate matters, the pedestrian bridges are usually poorly lit. Obviously, pedestrian will shy away from using the bridges especially at night because it is hotspots for crimes such as snatch theft, etc. Even during an overcast day, the pedestrian bridge will be deserted due to poorly lit.

As one of the vulnerable users, pedestrians are in a dilemma of either dashing their way across the street which certainly is very dangerous (even proven fatal) and also illegal to do or to use a certified unsafe pedestrian bridge.

Thus, the design of pedestrian bridge should be re look into so that it will be more conducive to users and the relevant authorities should carry out proper periodic maintenance of the pedestrian bridge. The current sorry states of the pedestrian bridges also contribute to the unwillingness of users to use public transport because pedestrian bridges are vital interconnectivity link for public transport users.

Read HERE for some of the views of pedestrian bridges in Kuala Lumpur.

Improving Bus Terminals

Another effort proposed by the commission is to introduce electronic ticketing system at all bus terminals nationwide as well as implement proper arrival and departure bays. The proposal is good in order to prevent touts activity and to provide convenience to passengers. The proposal should be made as benchmark for constructing future bus terminals.

Hope that the commission will also look into other critical issues regarding public transportation system such as interconnectivity issues, reliability of services, cleanliness and passengers' safety.

Interconnectivity issues should be addressed properly in order to attract more passengers using public transport. For example, as announced before that Integrated Transportation Terminal- Bandar Tasik Selatan (ITT-BTS) will cater to southbound express buses while northbound express buses will use Pudu Raya. It is important to highlight the interconnectivity issues between the two terminals so that passengers who happen to require transferring between the two terminals will be able to do so seamlessly and effortlessly. Interconnectivity among different public transportation services and facilities should also be emphasized further. 

Currently, the departure and arrival time of buses are not being addressed properly. As opposed to the operation of public transport in most developed countries, the delays in term of departure and arrival times here can be more than acceptable. The authority should ensure that the compliance in term of arriving and departing according to the stipulated time should be made as part of the contractual basis to renew the public transportation operators' future licenses. The arrival and departure time should be announced publicly in order to facilitate users planned their travelling itineraries. 

Also, the operators of the bus terminals should ensure the cleanliness and safety of the bus terminals. The facility for disabled should also be provided at all of the bus terminals nationwide.

Until now all of the above issues are left to the operators to handle but as usual there are so many excuses being given such as traffic congestion is so bad causing our buses to be delayed beyond comprehension. Hopefully, with the initiative of the commission will ensure that the quality of public transportation in Malaysia can be further improved.

Read HERE,  HERE and HERE for related articles.

Grass Land at Desa Ilmu

This grass land is located somewhere at Desa Ilmu.

Capturing Mode: Av

Exposure 1/200
Aperture f/6.3

Trips To Sebuyau

Several years ago, Sebuyau was accessible only via river transportation. However now, anyone can go to Sebuyau without leaving their cars behind due to the availability of road network linking coastal areas. It took around two hours of travelling from Kota Semarahan depending on traffic conditions. From Kota Semarahan, there are two ferry crossings: crossing Semarahan River (depending on water level) and crossing Sadong River. If the Semarahan River water level is too low, there is no ferry service. However, users can use an alternative road which takes additional 30 minutes journey time

I had the opportunity to visit Sebuyau, by car, last September. I had to admit that this is my first time to visit Sebuyau. My first impression is that the town is kind of a small quiet town since most of the younger generation has moved to big cities for jobs and education.

River transportation is still thriving in Sebuyau. As shown above, they have a unique way of transporting motorcycle using river transport. As shown below, the motorcycle needs to pass through a boat before it can be safely downloaded into the other adjacent boat.

Selling Petrol in Plastic Bottle

When you travel between major cities in Cambodia, you will hardly find proper petrol station along the road. Usually, petrol or diesels are sold in a bottle like containers as shown above. The sight of a stall selling petrol in plastic bottles is a normal appearance in Cambodia. They might have reasons for selling petrol in such manner because to build proper petrol station might be too expensive to them.

If you wanted to travel long distances in Cambodia, make sure you fill up your tank or bring extra container of petrol in your car because you will never know whether you will be able to find any bottles filled with petrol along the way in case you really needed it.
However, if your travel from Kota Semarahan to Sadong Jaya, you will notice the similarity as shown in the picture below where petrol are sold in bottle like containers due to similar reason i.e. you will hardly find proper petrol station along the way. One of the reasons for not having the petrol station along the way is because the road linking the two areas is only recently completed and it will take some time for anybody who wanted to venture into the business to set up the proper petrol station along the way.

Varsities in Cairo close from 3 to 12 months

Due to the current unrest in Egypt, several Varsities in Cairo close from 3 to 12 months.

Al-Azhar Univerity has declared a year off, Ain Sham University has declared six months off, and University of Cairo has declared three months off.

Wish all of Malaysian students in Egypt to safely return home and hope the situation in Egypt will get better so that they can resume their study.

Fruits

Except for grapes, these are some of local fruits found in Cambodia.

Cambodia is blessed with fertile land. They have plenty of fruits and other agricultural products.

Beware of Crocodile

This particular beach of Santubong Kuching Resort is kind of unique for reminding beach goers to be extra careful while visiting its beach. All other reminders are quite common to other nearby beaches except of to be beware of crocodile.

It seems that the crocodile must had been sighted in the area before and interestingly, it is sighted at the beach. I had heard before that most of man eaters crocodile were thriving in the rivers but not along a beach.

Well, enjoy the beach since it is very beautiful and clean beach and be extra careful about crocodile whether it is a real crocodile or "Buaya Darat" type of crocodile.

Toughest Anti-Smoking Measure

This is among the toughest anti-smoking measure taken in major city in the U.S. The smoking ban will be extended to municipal parks, beaches and even Times Square three months after it is signed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

City's Parks Department will have the power to impose fines of under USD100 for anyone caught smoking in any of the city's 1,700 parks, along 14 miles (23km) of coastline and pedestrian areas like the one in Times Square.

Read HERE for details.

Next major city to impose tough anti-smoking measure is Seoul. The smoking ban-ordinance will take effect on March 1. The gazetted areas are three main squares in downtown area i.e. Seoul Plaza, Cheongyecheon Plaza and Gwanghwamun Plaza.
After the three-month notification period, those who are caught smoking in the public will be slapped with a fine of 100,000 won (US$90)

Flow of Digital Information

Even though there is an internet blackout imposed by the Egyptian government, the digital information is still flowing out from protesters in Egypt.

Google and Twitter launch this service to circumvent internet service provider completely. Users leave a phone message which is then posted as an audio file on Twitter. However, users can only use this service for a while until the Egyptian Government completely cutoff all telephone line.

As reported  HERE, there are other ways being used to get the news information from the troubled areas.