Malaysian News: ITS for tourists, KL congestion, port workers, safety, smart cards, ports October 12, 2004 1. New e-portals to give tourists real time information about Malaysia to be implemented next year. It is unclear where e-portals would be located and exactly what will be offered as information. 2. Opinion piece on status of KL congestion and what should be done about it - obviously the writer does not believe in induced demand! 3. Dock workers have been associated with working with syndicated groups engaged in hijacking, as a systemic problem. 4. New "Safe City COncept" officially adopted. Aim is to improve city safety at local level with specific initiatives, some which are listed in article and are transportation related. 5. Smart card usage up but company operating smart card system has flat earnings growth, due to renegotiated commissions at a lower rate 6. Stats for througput at Port Tanjug Pelepas (this is a new port very near Port Johor 7. Stats for future growth of Port Johor ******************************************************************* ***1. E-portals to give tourists real time information by next year*** ******************************************************************* http://www.bernama.com/ Real Time Information On Malaysia For Tourists By Mid-2005 Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Foreign tourists would be able to access real time information on Malaysia by the middle of next year, Tourism Minister Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad said Monday. He said Tourism Malaysia is setting up an e-portal for tourists to access information on Malaysia which has been one of the requests made by many of them. "The feedback gathered from the tourists is that they would like to get current news on Malaysia such as on security issues, haze and viruses such as the Avian Flu," he said after witnessing the presentation of the Malaysia Book of Records certification to Sarawak Tourism Board for being the first tourism authority in the country to achieve the Integrated Management System (IMS) status. Sarawak Urban Development and Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, who is also state Second Finance Minister, received the certificate from Malaysia Book of Records founder and director, Datuk Danny Ooi. Toyad said: "It is important for us to develop the site and deliver the information on Malaysia fast and clear to the tourists" in the move to attract more tourists to the country despite the various issues plaguing the region. He also said that in the case of security issues it was important to give tourists a clear picture of the location of the incident. "Just like haze, which is seasonal and affected certain parts of the country, it is important to provide the tourist with the information," he said. Toyad also said that the ministry was working with the Transport Ministry to allow bigger taxis and limousines to operate on seasonal basis to cater to the current demand posed by arrival of foreign tourists with big families of up to eight to 10 people per family. In his speech, Wong said that with the IMS status, Sarawak Tourism Board was able to convince tourists that the state had made every effort to ensure the various tourism activities offered complied with the international and national standards on environment and safety. The Sarawak Tourism Board complied with the Quality Management System ISO 9001:2000, Environmental Management System ISO 14001:1996 and Safety and Health OHSAS 18001:1999. All the three ISOs were awarded to Sarawak Tourism Malaysia in May last year by Department of Standards Malaysia while Moody International Certification Ltd certified the ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:1996 in June, the same year. Wong said: "It is crucial to the promotion of tourism in Sarawak which among other things involved activities such as caving, jungle trekking, mountain climbing and rafting," He hoped with the IMS status, it would help to convince tourists that "we care for them while they are with us in Sarawak." -- BERNAMA *************************************************************** ***2. Opinion piece on congestion in KL and what should be done*** *************************************************************** http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/Letters/20041007085144/Article/i ndexb_html Facilities: Think big when building highways or bridges By Annamalai Arnasalam, CHERAS Oct 7: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHEN Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad proposed building the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), almost everyone thought money would be wasted on another mega project. Within five years, the public realised that the project was built for the future, carefully taking into consideration the manifold increase in traffic volume at local airports. In fact, KLIA can handle the air traffic volume for the next 20 years. But we failed to do the same with our roads. Our highways are congested. The North-South Expressway should not be called a highway, considering it has only four miserable lanes. Just three years after its completion, we found it was insufficient to cater for the increasing traffic volume. Nowadays, travelling on the North-South Expressway during, before and after a long holiday can be a nightmare as one may be caught in traffic jams for hours in many parts of the highway. It is obvious that we only plan for the short term. Spending money wisely, it may not be a waste to add eight extra lanes making it a 10-lane highway to last at least 30 years. As a matter of fact, it would be a lot cheaper to do it now than wait 10 more years and spend 10 times as much. Similarly, spending more money putting up six extra lanes on the Penang Bridge would be a wise move. Do not waste time, money and energy adding one lane every time the bridge is clogged up. Think big. Add 10 lanes, five lanes on either side. Such a measure would save time and money in the long term. ******************************************** ***3. Dock workers associated with hijacking*** ******************************************** http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/20041008082118/Article/in dexb_html Union upset over CID chief’s ‘hijack’ statement KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The issue of whether transport workers are aiding hijackers has sparked an interesting debate. While the association representing lorry operators agreed in part with CID director Datuk Musa Hassan, who made the statement, the Transport Workers' Union (TWU) is upset. Pan Malaysia Lorry Owners' Association (PMLOA) president Er Sui See said that while there were some transportation company workers colluding with syndicates hijacking high-value goods, the finger should not be pointed solely at them. He said transportation managers in factories and workers at warehouses also were privy to such information. "They too know what is being transported, the value of the goods and their destination. It is unfair to pinpoint only transport workers," Er said. He was commenting on Musa's statement yesterday that some transportation company workers were providing details of consignments to lorry hijackers. TWU secretary-general Senator Zainal Rampak, who is also Malaysian Trades Union Congress president, said it was unfair to brand all transport workers as abetting in lorry hijackings. "Such a statement affects the livelihood, morale and credibility of transport workers. These people work day and night to get food items and goods to their destinations. "I will write to Musa on this matter to seek clarification on his statement, and I hope they have the statistics to support what they are saying," he said. ********************************************** ***4. New safe city concept officially adopted*** *********************************************** http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/National/20041012081638/Article/ indexb_html Steps laid down for Safe City Concept Farrah Naz Karim PUTRAJAYA, Oct 11: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steel fences separating walkways from roads, lights along back lanes and closed-circuit television cameras in crime-prone areas — these are among the security measures to be adopted by local authorities in the Safe City concept. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the National Council for Local Government, which met today, laid down 23 steps under the concept to improve the quality of life in cities and towns. He said the Safe City Concept, formally adopted today, was based on the premise that safety was the combined initiative of residents, local councils and police. The local authorities, he said, would erect steel fences to separate walkways from roads to ensure the safety of pedestrians and to deter snatch thefts. Street lights will also be installed along back lanes and police stations will be built in as many areas as possible. Local authorities will be tasked to clear dark, dank and dirty places, identify crime-prone spots and install CCTV cameras where necessary. "Local authorities will be instrumental in this effort to make our cities and towns safer, not just in terms of crime prevention, but also in providing safe facilities for all including the disabled and the old." Najib said State Governments must ensure that all 145 local governments monitor and implement the concept. Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, meanwhile, said it was the responsibility of State Governments to