I refer to the report which says that the Light Rail Transit network is to be extended to Klang, Kajang and Rawang. When I read the article I first thought that it was wonderful news. Another multibillion ringgit expansion of public transportation would have to be seen as a gift by all. Not only that, but the news was delivered on June 5. What a wonderful birthday present and a wonderful announcement for World Environment Day.

Is there really that much to celebrate? We all know about the traffic congestion and pollution. Many of us spend our time stuck in traffic jams, probably wondering about when the consistent, safe, reliable transit service that has been promised will finally arrive.

The federal government announced that it will spend about RM8 billion on two new extensions to the existing LRT and on one new LRT line. Now the Selangor state government is announcing RM12 billion to be spent on LRT construction. Are we expected to wait five more years for the LRT to magically come and solve all our public transit problems? Will that even happen?

What about the buses? Many basic bus services and bus facilities throughout the Klang Valley are incomplete. RapidKL has reorganised their system but what about Metrobus, SJ Bus, Selangor Omnibus and many others?

Of course, that reorganisation has had problems. Aside from inconsistent, unreliable service, many passengers complained about the number of transfers that they are forced to make.

I wonder how RapidKL expected a bus system based on regular transfers to be successful given that many of the 'transfer facilities' were wholly incomplete and inadequate for the task. In the one year's experience with the transfer system, RapidKL did not construct a single new transfer facility. Is it any wonder that the system did not work and customers ended up at the losing end?

RapidKL recently (April 21) changed their bus route system again to keep in line with passenger demands. Now the routes have been streamlined and some have been combined and more buses are heading directly into KL. Passengers are quite a bit happier and the passenger numbers have increased quickly.

Isn't it ironic? The LRT lines have been operating for 10 years but it took the reorganisation of RapidKL's bus service to get more and more people to consider using public transportation.

There are better ways to spend RM12 billion. I would like the federal government and the state governments to please try to understand that there are better ways to spend money than on LRT systems to Klang and Puchong and Rawang.

I love the LRT and mass-transit rail technology and I am happy to see public transit being improved but not in this way. The LRT should not be the first and only choice of the government. Not at the expense of basic bus services. Not in a way that will spend vast amounts of money but will not result in vast improvements to public transit services.

Do you know that after nearly 10 years in operation, the LRT lines are still not fully utilised? The fully grade-separated Kelana Jaya LRT line cost RM150 million per km. It currently uses two carriage trains and is effectively at full capacity during peak hours (10,000 passengers per hour per direction) but only moves about 30,000 passengers per day.

The Vancouver Millenium line, the 'younger sister' of the Kelana Jaya LRT line, is using a mix of two and four carriage trains and moving about 70,000 passengers per day. The RM130 million per km Ampang-Seri Petaling LRT line still has excess capacity.

LRT is not the only way to offer excellent public transportation. It is not the only option for rapid transit that is available in the Klang Valley. KTM Komuter and bus services can and should be improved before LRT is considered. Examples from cities around the world show us that LRT is nice. But they also show us that Bus Rapid Transit and Rapid Trams (or even a reliable bus service) can move a lot of people too.

For RM150 million per km, one kilometre of LRT line can be built, or 5-8 km of Bus Rapid Transit, or three kilometres of Rapid Tram line. But of course, Malaysian drivers would refuse to accept the idea of sharing the road. So the government, when aiming to spend money on improving public transportation, has effectively decided that LRT is the only way.

If this is the case, then I would invite the government to please build the LRT lines in and near to the Federal Territory. Right now, the Kelana Jaya LRT line is running at overcapacity. Buses from KL Sentral to Kota Damansara and the Maluri LRT to Cheras are fully packed. Jalan Ampang is packed with cars during most hours of the day, especially between Ampang and KLCC. Jalan Klang Lama and Jalan Puchong are full of cars during peak hours and the Lebuhraya Damansara- Puchong is busy night and day.

I cannot think of any place in Klang, Puchong, and Rawang that currently needs LRT services especially when that service costs RM150 million per km. But I can think of many places in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya and Wangsa Maju and Kepong that need LRT services now.

Build LRT where it is needed. Have better bus services where they are needed. Please, do not waste taxpayer money.