Saturday February 9, 2013

10,000 more parking bays for Park n Ride commuters

Covered and connected: The new Park n Ride complex in Sg Besi LRT station and Kong (inset, fourth from right ) welcoming new users during the launch.

KUALA LUMPUR: An additional 10,000 parking lots will be created in the Klang Valley as more people are using public transport.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said that last year, the number of commuters who used buses and trains between the peak hours of 7am and 9am had increased by 4% to 335,000 users daily.

In contrast, only 320,000 people used public transport daily in 2011.

Citing an example, Kong said the Ampang LRT line registered daily ridership of 170,000 last year, an increase of 6.25% compared to 160,000 daily users in 2011.

The increased use of public transport encouraged the ministry to set up 20 Park n Ride facilities at LRT, KTM Komuter and ERL stations, which will see an additional 10,000 parking spots on top of the existing 26,000.

“With Park n Ride, we hope to encourage more people to use public transport to reduce traffic congestion,” he said after opening the Sungai Besi Park n Ride with Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin.

Kong said 10 Park n Ride areas had been completed and were operational since April last year.

Another four will be completed by May while six are targeted to be completed between the third quarter of this year and 2015.

“Between 60 and 1,260 extra parking spots will be created at each station,” he said.

The Park n Ride facilities are equipped with lifts, CCTV cameras, toilets and covered pedestrian walkways.

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