Datuk Naim Mohamad, Chairman Organising Committee
Christmas
cheer and a happy new year
Naim
bin Mohamad
Our Kuala Lumpur Mayor might not be
Santa Clause, but on the eve of Christmas Day, he brought presents for the
children of Malaysia. His gift of agreeing to free the busiest streets of Kuala
Lumpur for four hours a month for 12 months from vehicles is a bold step of a
journey of thousand miles. To balance the rapid development of a city of a
developing nation and at the same time to safe its ecosystem is not an easy
task. It needs wisdom and courage.
By having a car free morning monthly,
the first step is being taken. Carbon emissions are reduced. Greenhouse effect
is reduced, global warming in some way
is also reduced. With the effort in planting trees in the city. They provide
the cooling effect and also provide the oxygen required by the habitats.
Abnormal weather conditions can be avoided and also flooding controlled. This
is only the first step, when there is acceptance and support, than more can be
done. This step by step evolving and educational program will be successful as
compared to a quick fix or revolutionary methods.
Lately the world has been struck by
seismic climate change, typhoon haiyan, snow in the middle-east and even the
recent bad floods in Malaysia's east coast. It should be ample notice to the
human kind to look after their earth.
In a small way, we are about to practise
and implement what our Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib had declared that Malaysia will
reduce its carbon dioxide emission by 40%
by the year 2020 compared to 2005
levels subject to assistance from the developed countries at the United Nations
Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on the 17th December, 2009.
Going green, going car free, increase public
transportation is the way forward to preserve mother earth and we are blessed
that we together had taken the first step. My dream at long last had come
through and soon we hope to have car free days, an upgrade from the car free
mornings maybe every Sunday of the week.
We want Malaysians to be extra aware and
take extra care of their surroundings and extra conscious of their children’s
future environment.
Certainly there will be detractors and
some who will object because they are not willing to sacrifice the four hours a
month to stop burning fuel and contributing pollution to the atmosphere. Or
they will give an excuse that it will disrupt their business and their
movements, when public transport and taxis will still ply their routes. When
the program is fixed and people slowly becoming aware, they will adjust and
take measures so as not to be inconvenienced themselves. Tourists and visitors
will not be affected because this had already been implemented in the busiest
part of Jakarta for every Sunday every week since a few years ago along Jalan
Sudirman and Jalan Thamrin leading to the Monumen Nasional (MONAS).
In Malaysia, if I am not mistaken,
Penang is already having their Sunday rides along Beach Street every Sunday.
For the inaugural event on the 5th
January, 2014. Not all the roads mentioned will be totally closed. We
understand truly well the course of the route that is being planned so as not
to disrupt the livelihood of the city dwellers and the commercial activities
and also the hotel guests. We also had taken into account the visitors to the
commercial business district.
Please refer to figure 1.
The lap of honor for the Car Free
Morning which is a rolling closure will cover Jalan Raja Laut which starts at
Menara 1 DBKL into Jalan Sultan Ismail into Jalan Ampang into Jalan P Ramlee
into Jalan Pinang into Jalan Raja Chulan into Jalan Imbi into Jalan Sultan
Ismail straight down into Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and right into Jalan Tun
Perak and back into Jalan Raja Laut. This event will start at 7.30 am and will
end at about 8.00 am. From 8.00 am onwards all these roads mentioned except for
Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman will already be open to the
public.
(Rolling closure means as the
pedestrians, joggers, roller bladders, roller skaters and cyclists pass the
road, the road opens to vehicles).
The Car free Morning Criterium loop
which will be total closure will cover Jalan Raja Laut from the junction of
Jalan Parlimen into Jalan Semarang into Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman into Jalan
Tun Perak and back into Jalan Raja Laut. The Start and finish is opposite
Menara DBKL 1. These roads will be closed from 7.30 am to 9.30 am. By the time employees come to work and
shops/Malls open for business, these roads will already be open.
After the lap of honor of about half an
hour which is about 6 kms, participants will enjoy the criterium circuit which
is about not more than 2 kms for another one and a half hours for their leisure
and pleasure.
Hotel, Business Premise and Condominium
management will need to issue circulars to their guests and tenants so that
road users will have proper notice of the closures. We have applied to DBKL to
also have temporary road closure notice bill boards at the affected areas and
Buntings along the route should give good notice of the event (subject to the
availability of sponsors for the boards and buntings).
We are seeking the help of the print and
electronic media and also radio stations to make repeated public announcements
so that residents, road users, visitors and the public will be made aware of
the event.
Whilst we want to be a developed Nation
and hope to enjoy the benefits, I am very sure we wouldn’t want to do it at the
expense of our future generation.
Figure 1
