BY BRENDA CH'NG

Cars form long lines along the road leading to the Glenmarie LRT station and some even take up space near the pick up/drop off zone and bus stops. — Photos: ART CHEN and KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star

WHILE travelling into the heart of Kuala Lumpur is now a breeze, thanks to various rail facilities, there is still room for improvement in terms of amenities for commuters.

One of the most important would be park-and-ride facilities, which commuters who have no access to feeder bus services rely heavily on.

Apart from having reasonable parking fees, park-and-ride facilities should also have proper security and be well lit and pedestrian friendly.

However, when StarMetro visited a few stations along the Kelana Jaya line extension route, which travels from Putra Heights into Kuala Lumpur, we discovered that this was not always the case.

Jam-packed: Cars snake along the roads leading into the Glenmarie LRT station, with some even taking up space near the pick up/drop off zone and bus stops. — ART CHEN/The Star

At some stations, the park-and-ride area is located quite a distance from the entrance to the station and most were not properly equipped with covered walkways or security personnel.

Meanwhile, some park-and-ride facilities were underutilised while others had cars parked illegally by the roadside near the LRT stations.

An example would be at the Glenmarie station, where the two-lane road leading into the station narrows to one as cars are illegally parked on both sides of the road.

This is the same for the other side of the road, where the two-lane street narrows into one, also due to haphazardly parked cars.

Illegally parked cars narrow the road leading into the Glenmarie LRT station.

When we visited the park-and-ride there, we noticed that there was a proper covered pedestrian walkway stretching across the parking lot but it was a distance to walk as the parking facility is huge.

Parking illegally by the roadside near the station is not an uncommon sight at most stations, where some cars could also be seen parked along the bus stops at the Ara Damansara station and by the roadside at the Subang Jaya station.

“If I am are not early enough, the park-and-ride area closest to the station gets filled up and I will have to park far away. So sometimes I would rather park by the roadside, which is nearer to the station, especially when I have to work late,” a commuter who only wanted to be known as HL Sia said.

She added that distance from her parking spot to the station was crucial for safety reasons, especially when she returned late.

The same goes for an LRT user who only wanted to be known as Gregory. He boards the train in Subang daily and believes that security and the pedestrian walkways could be improved.

“At some stations, there are proper walkways but they are not covered and it is also a distance to walk either from the station to the main road or to the open-air car-park. It does not feel like the safest walk either.

“Take for example Subang, where I park at the open space, it is uncovered and far away from the station’s exit,” he said.

Meanwhile, LRT user William Yang, who parks at the Alam Megah park-and-ride station daily, said it was a walk to and from the station.

“It is great that there is proper parking but it is quite a distance from my car to the station.

“The only good thing is the guard stationed there, which makes me feel safer walking to my car at night,” he said.

Vehicles are even parked near the pick up/drop off and bus stop area outside the Ara Damansara LRT station.

Yang added that he only paid a RM4 entry fee daily and hoped that the carpark would have a covered walkway to make it more convenient for users.

Apart from the Glenmarie and Alam Megah stations which are well-equipped in terms of covered walkways and security, respectively, the same cannot be said for the Taman Bahagia park-and-ride facility which is heavily underutilised.

Despite being strategically located on the left and right of the train station, the newly opened carparks, known as phase two and three, are less than a quarter full.

The second phase with 224 lots can be accessed via Jalan SS1/36 and the third phase with 504 lots, via the back lane of Jalan SS2/4A.

However, the first phase, which was opened together with the station, is located right behind the station and is always packed.

Cars can be seen parked irresponsibly, some even blocking the path and making it difficult for vehicles to manoeuvre in and out.

The Ara Damansara parking facility located behind the station.

When we visited all three parking facilities there, we realised that the ones located on the left and right were not guarded, uncovered and poorly lit.

Even the pedestrian walkway connecting the phase two carpark to the station is unlit with a broken roof. It is also built beside a monsoon drain.

Meanwhile, there is no pedestrian walkway connecting the park-and ride phase three to the LRT station, which is located across a main road.

Other park-and-ride facilities in Petaling Jaya include Kelana Jaya, Asia Jaya and Taman Paramount, which are also not guarded and short on covered pedestrian walkways.

“I used to park at the Kelana Jaya park-and-ride but it is really difficult to find a parking spot and security is also an issue at night,” Charles Chan said.

Chan now parks at the open space parking near the Subang Jaya LRT station, which is also far from the entrance, and not guarded or shaded either.

When we visited the Kelana Jaya park-and-ride facility, we noticed that parking closest to the station was really full and parking on the other end of the station was empty.

“The station is actually quite a distance from the carpark and I do not feel safe parking there, especially in the late evening because of lack of security,” commuter Rudy Seah said.

Cars are seen illegally parked by the roadside nearer to the Ara Damansara LRT station entrance. 

“When it rains, you are sure to get drenched because walkway between the station and the parking area is uncovered and it is quite a distance to run.”

Seah used to park at the SS15 commercial area near the SS15 LRT station but with the difficulties in getting a parking spot there as well, he has resorted to driving to work in Kuala Lumpur again.

When contacted, Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain said he would look into making improvements to the park-and-ride facilities that were under the jurisdiction of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

There are only four of them – Asia Jaya, Taman Bahagia, Taman Jaya and Taman Paramount.

“I will discuss with my officers on when we will start charging a parking fee at Taman Bahagia and Taman Paramount and hopefully, by then, the place will be guarded,” he said.

Currently, only the park-and-ride at Asia Jaya has started charging a one-time entry fee of RM3.

“For covered walkways and to engage a security team, we will have to look at our budget again to see what we can do,” he said.

In the meantime, MBPJ has engaged a contractor to repair the broken roof covering at the Taman Bahagia phase two parking area and also to install new lights there.

However, the park-and-ride at other stations are under the purview of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, except for the open space carpark near the Subang Jaya station that is privately owned.

Working to improve stations

A spokesman from Prasarana acknowledged that safety at park-and-ride facilities was of utmost importance.

“The newer stations are well lit while we continue to improve the lighting at other older stations progressively.

“Commuters can also seek assistance from our auxiliary police or customer service officers to accompany them to their cars in the late evening,” the spokesman said, adding that this, however, did not include the park-and-ride facilities managed by MBPJ.

The park-and-ride facilities are managed by Prasarana Integrated Development Sdn Bhd (Pride), which is one of the subsidies of Prasarana responsible for generating non-fare revenue by optimising asset space and development of transit oriented development (TOD).

“We have more than 3,100 parking bays between Putra Heights and Taman Jaya LRT station and the occupancy depends on the proximity between parking facilities and the points of origin.

The original parking facility located behind the Taman Bahagia LRT station is always at maximum capacity while the other two on either side of it remain less than a quarter full.

“For example, before the opening of the Kelana Jaya extension line, the parking area in the Kelana Jaya station was frequently full but now we realised that more and more park at the Glenmarie and Ara Damansara stations instead.

“This could probably be due to the fact that the parking facility is closer and more convenient for many commuters, especially those from Shah Alam and Subang Jaya,” he said.

Prasarana also foresees a shift in demand for park-and-ride facilities at various stations once the LRT phase three opens in a few years time.

In the meantime, more parking bays are expected to be available at the Subang Jaya station with the development of a new mall there in the coming years.

On the issue of illegal parking, the spokesman said it was up to the police or the local authority to take action.

“At the moment, only the police and enforcement officers from the respective local authorities have the authority to issue summonses to unruly motorists,” he said.