PETALING JAYA, 3 Dec: The state government, through the Selangor Department of Town and Country Development (JPBDS), is preparing a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) plan to reduce city movement, traffic congestion and air pollution in Selangor.
The Executive Councillor in charge of Local Government, Studies and Research, Datuk Teng Chang Khim, said that an area will be created which hinges on transit stops; Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) within 400 metres from the transit terminal according to the TOD system.
He said that all areas within the same area will also be equipped with infrastructure such as footpaths, bicycle paths and other facilities, as well as allowing a high density ratio.
“This is not a system we created. Instead, it is modelled after foreign countries such as Hong Kong, Melbourne and Rio De Janeiro, which successfully implemented the TOD system.
“It is the same as the initiative taken by Penang to overcome the problem of overcrowding. So we cannot take it as a whole and we also require changes in the planning.
“Planning takes time and we expect for the master plan to be tabled in a period of one year,” he said.
He said this when inaugurating the Urban Transportation Seminar in PJ which was held at Banquet Hall in the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) building today.
Chang Khim said that MBPJ will be the precursor to TOD based development in Selangor because of its high population density as well as the factor of the existing transit system in the city.
“Density is a sensitive issue in Petaling Jaya and we are not able to control the increase of residents. So we need a paradigm shift to overcome this problem, not for the short-term, but more importantly in facing the future,” he said.
According to the MBPJ website, the MBPJ Full Council Meeting records in March states that the TOD project in PJ initiated early this year will cost an allocation of about RM9 million and is expected to be ready in two years.
