LETTER | Johor Bahru is the fourth largest city in Malaysia with a population of 1,711,191 people. The size of Johor Bahru is 1,064 square kilometres. 

As for the economy of Johor, the state Johor’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 2.4 percent to RM131.1 billion in 2021, compared with RM128 billion in 2020. 

Even though Johor Bahru has an area of 1,064sq-km, there are no LRT or MRT services. While Perlis, with a total state area of 819sq-km, has a complete transportation network.

This means that using public transport in Johor Bahru is even more difficult than in a state like Perlis. 

For example, from University Technology Malaysia to Larkin station, students have to walk 30 minutes or take Grab to the bus station of Sekolah Menegah Kebangsaan Skudai, Jalan Skudai, before they can take the bus to Larkin. 

It is really difficult to move around for University Technology Malaysia students in Johor Bahru who do not have their own transport facilities.

Not only that, Pasir Gudang, which has one of the most congested roads in the Johor Bahru District, is jammed almost every morning, especially if it rains. 

During the morning peak hour, the short 11km journey takes 30-40 minutes, but during the rainy season, it takes 40-50 minutes. The most painful thing for office workers.

Fortunately, the Johor state government has started paying attention to this problem and is looking to develop the Johor Bahru Light Rail Transit (JB-LRT) in an effort to overcome traffic congestion and integrate the transportation system in the city centre.

The LRT transport service will not only benefit the workers, students and residents, but it will also be of benefit to tourism and the government. Benefits such as reducing per capita road traffic accidents, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transport-oriented development. 

Alongside these benefits, one of the most significant indirect benefits of LRT is the impact on ‘improved land’ value in the form of residential property values. LRT will increase a property's accessibility to important activity centres and typically increase the allure of areas close to transit stations.

It is hoped that after the government pays attention to this issue, it can take action as soon as possible, instead of just talking about it on paper. 

WONG PUI YUN is a third-year student in the Faculty of Business & Communication, Universiti Malaysia Perlis. 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.