KUCHING: Chief Minister, Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said yesterday that the centre of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) public transport system would be the Kuching International Airport (KIA) with connections to various parts of Kuching City itself.
In his winding-up speech during the State Legislative Assembly sitting here yesterday, he added the LRT would be developed in stages to trigger the development and growth of Kuching and its surrounding areas.
“In the long term, we can envisage Greater Kuching to encompass not just Kota Samarahan and Padawan but also Bako, Damai, Lundu, Bau and Serian.”
Johari added that the full public transport system would be an integrated one, with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) as the core and complemented by the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), taxis and private cars and there would be designs for cyclists and pedestrians.
“The key benefit of building a proper public transport system is that it allows for a lower cost of living for its inhabitants and affordable housing combined with cheap public transportation.
“We will build communities around the stations of the LRT and BRT, with schools, food courts and commercial centres,” said the Chief Minister.
He explained that the required real estate could be built around these LRT stations based on the concept of TOD (Transit-Oriented Density) development.
“If we do not start building our LRT now, our land cost will increase in future and we may need more roads, more highways as well as more flyovers to be built which will cost us billions of ringgit.
“I wish to reassure that I am talking on the advice of my planners who have been working on this since early this year and based on the studies that have been done by experts from Hong Kong and Singapore,” added Johari.
