Recently, advertisements and newspaper articles have appeared discussing high-rise property projects in the Subang Jaya area. The existing and upcoming projects are expected to bring useful development to Subang Jaya, which is already a successful township because of its mixed- development design. However, residents in the area are worried about increased traffic congestion brought about by these developments.

The developers make the argument that many of the new projects are located near the KTM station, and the planned extension of the Kelana Jaya LRT line to UEP Subang Jaya (USJ). It seems that people are finally catching on to the idea that having public transit nearby is an advantage for a development project.

Of course, the reality is that much more needs to be done to incorporate public transit into the development process. This is where the government must step in.

The first issue of concern is the lack of available information. The Kelana Jaya LRT extension has been approved, but no information has been made available about the planned route, or the location of the various stations. While some suggestions have been given by the community, no information has been released by the planners.

This is something to be concerned about, especially since the extension is promised to be ready by 2009 or 2010 (presumably, at the end of the year). Developers must also be concerned. It can be assumed that there will be an LRT station near the Subang Jaya KTM station, and in the vicinity of Subang Parade shopping centre. However, until the routes and plans are revealed, any developer involved in a project is making a big speculation about public transit, and incurring a significant risk.

The second issue is the actual development of public transit 'on the street'. Streets in townships like Subang Jaya, and cities like Kuala Lumpur, have been redesigned to cater for cars, not pedestrians. This creates a huge challenge for public transit because it affects how people will get to public transit.

Public transit has to be within an ideal walking distance (250m - 500m) to get people to use it. However, if this walk requires a person to cross a busy roadway, or climb steep stairs, or walk through an unlit or unsafe area, then what is the point? No one will use public transit if it is inaccessible or inconvenient.

The government has stated that they wish to have 40 percent of Malaysians using public transport. This goal needs to be more carefully defined. In addition, the government must realise that if the planning of public transport and public transit is limited to where the routes will go and how many buses or trains are needed, then this 40 percent goal will not be met.

'If you build it, they will come' is not effective public transit planning. That is why the government and the developers and the planners must step forward together, and make sure that effective public transit planning is a part of every existing and future development project.