LETTERS: I read with sorrow the recent road crash which took many lives and devastated their families.
Safe transportation has become an assumption in the planning of our day-to-day living. However, the aspirations of many thousand families are shattered by transportation-related crashes daily.
Malaysia has a National Transportation Master plan which underpins a safe and cost-efficient public transportation system.
This transport plan will only succeed if it is coupled with an effective land use policy.
This policy entails the implementation of self-contained housing colonies in both rural and urban areas in which transport needs are minimized.
The provision of an efficient local public transport would then reduce or replace the need for private vehicle ownership.
Hence, the effective land use policy and efficient public transit system are the two fundamental mantras toward a safe transport infrastructure.
In addition, we have an efficient intercity rail system which complements the local transit system.
By strengthening transport systems, governments globally can reduce the economic loss due to road crashes, which amount to at least 1-2 per cent of national GDP.
In addition, productivity loss due to traffic jams and the negative impact on the environment can be drastically minimized. The federal and state governments should work together towards this end.
On another note, the Malaysian economy depends heavily on the tourism industry.
Some countries have warned their citizens of the road safety situation and unreliable emergency response system with respect to travel to Malaysia.
A safe transport infrastructure would also reassure aspiring tourists to our country.
In the long term, the setting up of a Transportation Safety Research Institute is essential, if we were to envisage a developed country status.
Such an institute would study and proactively promote the implementation of a safe and seamless transit system.
Dr Krishnan Rajam
Senior Professor, AIMST University
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times