National productivity aggregate, wealth and health bashed daily on the roads
When new roads are opened up, the toll comes into play and not only do you have to still burn your wealth away on the non-tolled roads which somehow you still have to take, you now pay some more extras to dart through a short tolled drive. Is this service with care or making an opportunity out of the poor road user?
By J. D. Lovrenciear
Has our transport and traffic management system collapsed? Or is there ever going to be any hope in the immediate future?
Everyday, be it peak hours in the mornings and evenings, or at any other appointed time of the day or night, it is just far too alarming to see so many private vehicles on the roads all across the nation’s highways and federal roads and city centres.
The number of one occupant cars and motorbikes with pillion that choke our roads everyday is really eating into the productive man-hours of the nation’s human capital.
The PM’s wife recently gave some hope in her claim that the National Service program promises a great improvement for the future human capital of the nation. But when you are stuck in endless traffic jams to and from work, you cannot help taking into account the huge amount of national productivity hours of Malaysia’s human capital being lost on the roads today, let alone the stress, exhaustion, money and time burnt on the roadways.
It is very obvious that the many new roads being carved out is only to accommodate the rise of private cars and motorbikes.
The introduction of train or ‘Komuter’ services has long since reached its overflowing capacity. If any of our ministers were to join the thousands to and from work they will understand this frustrating dilemma.
If our ministers will just forgo their class-privileged, siren-blaring escorted rides ploughing through jammed up roads, and join the five kilometre crawl that takes two hours, they will better appreciate the sufferings of the helpless road users.
It does not need a Harvard graduate to unravel the truth. Our public transport system is not just in shambles but it has virtually not taken off the ground as promised. As such thousands of workers are left without any choice but to waste fuel, burn rubber, wear brake and engine parts and time just to get to work and back daily.
The car-pooling campaigns that were launched with so much of pomp, hope, promises and seeming determination to reduce productivity losses did not last the season. Why? The authorities did not understand the cultural and logistics needs and constrains of road users.
What is the use of screaming ‘we are developing fast; see all the rising towers here there and everywhere’ when the screams of the millions of ordinary rakyat forced into wasting their opportunities and strengths for nation building on the chocking road?
The standard meal of reasoning dished out by some quarters that ‘we are still better off then other cities in the world’ also does not hold any water. Others have alternative and reliable as well as cheap public transport systems that are working very efficiently. We don’t that defining difference!!
When new roads are opened up, the toll comes into play and not only do you have to still burn your wealth away on the non-tolled roads which somehow you still have to take, you now pay some more extras to dart through a short tolled drive. Is this service with care or making an opportunity out of the poor road user?
If after more than half a century of endless development we have to now lose the convenience of public transportation and end up bleeding our hard earned money on the road and contribute a huge dent to the national productivity aggregate of human capital and man-hours, whose fault is it?
Today an eight hour on-the-job stint takes a total toll of sixteen hours from a citizen’s daily lifetime. What is left behind – the eight hours has to be divided between sleep and family and social obligations. Is this the mantra or equation of a developed nation in 2020?
Leaders must face reality. Stop your stupid war games using religion and race to stay in power. Instead get the national productivity aggregate back on track with a reliable, cost-effective and honourable public transport system for the burdened rakyat.
