‘My project is’ xxx metres from a LRT / MRT? Here’s one 6 metres away.

These days, brochures will always tell all potential buyers how close their development is from the LRT / MRT station, usually a future one. Developers are trying their best to outdo the other projects by telling the buyers that theirs are nearer. Distance wise, it has to be below 500 metres so that one can walk to the station in around 5 minutes. Typical walking speed is 5km per hour. That’s roughly 420 metres per 5 minutes. For me, I think 800 metre would be the maximum level people could tolerate. That will take 10 minutes. In the morning, it’s okay. Well, what if the distance away from the station is just 6 metres? Wouldn’t that be awesome? There’s really the case for Kelana D’Putera Condominium which will only be 6 metres away and the LRT line will even run through the grounds of the condominium. It will take up drain access, cut away some trees and in close proximity to windows of units. Please refer to edgeprop article here. 
Kelana D’Putera Condominium management committee chairman Jeffrey Lau, as quoted by the daily, said he found a Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) from 2015 which showed that the nearest station (Persada Plus now Station 6/SS7) was initially, approximately 500m away. He said, “In that DEIA report, it was stated that even at almost 500m away from us, the residual impact from the LRT3 project would be very strong. It also stated that the noise levels ‘exceeded acceptance limits’ for both day and night.”  Lau further shared, “Cars are parked along Jalan SS7/26, which is only 5m wide, all the time and the traffic will only increase if a station is added.”  Since the station will not have a park-and-ride facility, LRT users are likely to park their cars along Jalan SS7/26. During emergencies, fire engines and ambulances will have a hard time maneuvering through the narrow road.
The Star reports that LRT3 project director Patrick Hwang Chee Leong said: “Due to cost optimisations directed by the Finance Ministry, we are now undergoing a review and redesign of all stations, including stations near Kelana D’Putera. We shall brief the residents after our new design is completed. He added, “On a positive note, we believe that when the new LRT station is operational, it will result in a reduction in traffic volume as commuters shift from private vehicles to public transportation, which will cause a 30% drop in forecast future traffic volume.” Hwang also noted that the pedestrian crossing from the commercial area to the original station’s location was 700m, while the new location reduced the length to 200m, a more pedestrian-friendly distance. Lastly he said, “We thank the residents of Kelana D’Putera for highlighting their concerns, and hope that our statement offers them greater clarity. We welcome the residents to continue to communicate with us on issues that concern them.”
I think in this case, everyone would just need to wait for the final confirmation from the authorities since the new LRT route was only just decided not too long ago. Personally, I would love to have a LRT station just steps away but it should not be at the expense of everything else; safety issues, other inconveniences and even privacy. I used to stay in Kelana Puteri and I can safely say that Jalan SS7/26 is always full of cars parked along the road. So, the safety issue raised is not an imaginary one. Let’s have a solution and not just the reasoning of ‘cost-cutting.’ This is the new Malaysia after all where transparency is now very important.
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written on 21 Aug 2018
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