Ah, the video I was looking for! Thanks TDR for geeking out with me and finding this video.
I’ve been invited to a few boycott-petrol-stations and fuel-hike-protest Facebook groups. Honestly, to them, I say, ride with me.
On the bus.
On the LRT.
Cars are a convenience, yes, but they take up so much space. Imagine a packed shopping mall – if everyone drove there in their own car, one shoplot would only fit 2 cars plus the road required to drive into that parking lot.
Now imagine a Vincci. At least 20 ladies and 6 men idling around on the seats (oddly, no metrosexual man would be seen shopping at Vincci.) That would mean that parking lots should be ten times bigger than the shopping complex itself!
Only 20% of Malaysians take public transport – in developed countries, 50% do. Part of this can be blamed on a underdeveloped public transport system… but I also say that Malaysians aren’t supportive. Have you bothered to find out which bus comes to your area?
There is some predictability in the timing of buses. I used to write down the times of the buses that would go to my place, on my phone. Give or take 15 minutes, with a 1 hour space in between buses. After I had understood the system, I could accurately plan my timing; after all, the LRT is very consistent at 2 minutes per stop.
I’m also a heck lot more punctual than my car-dependent friends.
Could I go get a car? Perhaps. But I could retain my position as the “hey how do I get from KLCC to One Utama by public transport?” phone support guy. If it’s not anyone as well-versed, who else would it be?
George started taking the train, and documented some exploits in comics. Hooray!
I Have A Secret
I’m a closet tree-hugger.
I was watching Idiocracy on TV, and after that a scene of a bayou appeared on the screen. I didn’t have any idea what that was about but I was hooked. It was Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. I was sleepy as heck, but for some reason I couldn’t stop watching it. Each time I wanted to retreat and sleep, I thought “I got this far through the show, I’m going to finish watching it.”
Al Gore has an amazing skill – no matter how sleep-inducing he can be, he doesn’t let you sleep.
To make it worse, they showed the add-on documentary after that… but I didn’t last past that.
Two Weapons
I have my monthly RapidKL RM135 all-access bus and LRT pass. It lets me on any RapidKL mode of transport for free and for unlimited rides for an entire month! Knowing that I have this pass encourages me to skimp on taxis unless I am in a rush or am sick.
The other item that lets me travel around is a Touch N Go card. This covers the KL Monorail and KTM Komuter services. I also use it for tolls, if my friends are giving me a lift. After all, they’re paying for a lot more in petrol so I might as well be considerate!
After Midnight
…public transport in Malaysia ceases to operate. But the only reason I’m out after midnight is if I’m clubbing and there’s alcohol involved. So since there are no buses or trains left, I should drive, right?
No, don’t be an idiot, don’t drink and drive.
Have a designated driver who doesn’t drink. The other benefit of this is, you’re carpooling!
Biii-cycle!
Sometimes, I wish I had one of those cool inventions I used to see on Beyond 2000. A bicycle that could fold into a backpack. It’s usually the last mile that isn’t covered so I wish I had a portable bicycle. I could take the bus to 1 Utama, unpack my bicycle and cycle to The Curve in 10 minutes instead of taking a leisurely 20 minute walk.
I seem to take 20 minute walks quite a bit – my walk from the office in Technology Park Malaysia to the Bukit Jalil LRT station is one of them, when I’ve just missed the bus. Or the Segambut KTM station to my house, from say Midvalley – so I can take the KTM instead of taking the LRT to Titiwangsa and then waiting for a bus.
Real walking beats paying for a gym membership and walking on a treadmill. I’m actually heading somewhere, and paying nothing for it!
I Hate Bandar Utama
Yes, I really think that having everything centralized in 2 buildings is dumb. For one, if you have the munchies, you can’t just walk out to grab something from your neighborhood 7-Eleven or mamak. Instead, you have to get into a car and drive and take up a parking lot.
I wonder if the people who drive to 1 Utama from across town curse at the residents of Bandar Utama for taking up a parking space just for a small errand. Or the other way around.
I love how my neighborhood has 7-Elevens, burger stalls, mamaks, restaurants, and grocery stores. If I just want to grab a Coke, I can just walk out of my house. To force people to drive out just for that is ridiculous.
I found that I wasted a lot of time walking and waiting for the bus/train. I also wasted a lot of money taking a cab to LRT inaccessible places.
Going anywhere along the LRT line is fine, but anywhere else, you’re better of with a car.
Your problems are compounded further if you’re a girl, as you’ll have to deal with perverts (eg on the train), the high risk of getting your bag snatched.
Also, walking to a destination may be practical, but you can’t always afford to show up sweaty.
As for BU, I agree they don’t have shop lots. The nearest option besides 1U would be Centerpoint, which offers free parking most of the time.
i totally agree man. but sadly, i do hate taking the public transport. 3 years of waiting at bustops after school for 45minutes to one hour is enough for me.
oh and regarding your bandar utama/ 1 utama note. i think im one of those residents that take up a parking lot for a short errand. but then again, i hardly find it hard to find a parking lot sometimes. i think im there too often.
cheers!
Buying a bike soon.
Cycling to work huhu.
baby i knw all your secrets nyehehe.ohai from HK! We will go hug a tree when I’m back okay since you have such fetish wtf. Mwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh<3333
I want to get a bicycle but the foldable ones are ridiculously big still when folded and ridiculously small when opened as a bike.
yeah the public transport in Malaysia is not as bad as people (who usually never gone public in their life) complain.
Yeah! One up for the environment! Here’s a big thumbs up for ya!!! Kudos!!!
I’m also becoming a fan of public transport especially LRT but at times I still have to use the car. Bringing a baby or a toddler around town using public transport is a bit of a torture on them (the babies and toddlers, I mean).
Asyraf: Dang.
shootkk: Yeah I’d operate on a same model – if I’m fit for public transport, I will. There would be one family car.
Will: It’s also a waste of time to find parking and get stuck in jams or roads that force you to make an entire round instead of just walking and cutting through.
I wash up at the toilet when I get there.
noel: Sad to hear that. Dunno if you could’ve chilled at school knowing that the bus would only come at a certain time.
Dr. Tan: Hot damn you can?
Waifon: Yay! Now to decide which tree trunk to hug…
syakir: Yeah. Though ironically the people who have commented here have, at some point, taken public transport, too.
i swore i would never take a bus in m’sia. i can take the number of people but i can’t take the smell of sweaty pits. horrible!
once I actually waited a good 1 to 1 and the half hour for a KTM train from kl central to kepong station!! i used to take the trains alot.. especially from shah alam to kepong. it takes me a good 2 hours just to get to kepong! it does not help if you have a hang over.
I don’t blame malaysians for not taking public transport.. its horrible. I used to take public transport in melbourne everyday and i have no complains. they’re always on time and if there’s something wrong with the train or trams, there’s the back up bus which follow the respective routes.
why can’t malaysia be more efficient?
ps. i love one utama.. but never during school holidays.
My friend’s experiences on the LRT train/station: http://www.xanga.com/kevinmvp/661124715/my-journey-using-kl-trains.html
Funny.
Christina: Wow, you drink early. 😀
Matthew: Your friend is a champion!
As a former public transport commuter, i can say that it took me a solid 1 and a half hours to reach my former office daily on feeder bus and LRT. That is after i’ve beaten the "bus waiting-timing system".
It’ll take me about 40 minutes (with massive traffic jam in Bulatan Pahang) to get to my former office if i drive.
Why? Because the queue jumpers tend to fill up the LRT at the first station. SO i became one of them. But more and more ppl started to become queue jumpers (take the train back to the first station, exit and take the next train to town). Hence the queue crawls till downstairs.
The LRT is too small to fit a lot of ppl travelling in a rush at the same time. The LRT design to me, is more for weekend leisure travel than to accomodate high volume of human traffic.
Heck, even on weekends it tends to overfilled with ppl.
But yeah, sometimes i love the fact that i dun have to worry about parking when i go KLCC and having the knowledge of reaching there 20 minutes on the dot. No driving can beat that.
LOL I don’t know where you live anymore. But yeah, I adopted the queue jumper idea early. Then, they started forcing people off the Kelana Jaya LRT… but somebody blogged about how to tell if the train is going to do that or not.
I get on the company bus from Asia Jaya every morning. If I miss the bus, I prefer taking any RapidKL bus from Asia Jaya to KL since it’s almost as frequent as the STAR LRT and always has seats.
Oh, and nothing beats them office chicks. 😀 Whoever said the LRT is dangerous hasn’t seen the number of (ballsy) female commuters! About 80% of the people who wait for my company bus are female.
LOL
very true. i actually developed a crush on one of them fellow commuter who gets off at my stop every morning. 😛
i stay in danau kota my friend, my LRT station is Taman Melati.
Ooo yeah, I remember some regular hot chicks too. 😀
Man! I know what you mean! It’s even worse in Penang! I only got a car because public transport in Penang was hell!!!!
Oh yeah! I also had a cool time geeking out! I managed to clamp together a 4:1 macro power lens!!!!!! hahaahahahaahah
TDR: Yeah man I heard about Penang. 🙁 Show us some 4:1 soon!
i read this post really late haha
but yeah public transport ftw
i should’ve started taking it to work a long time ago!
Whoa George I was just at your site!