One of the biggest challenges that Malaysians face when taking public transportation is the lack of safe pedestrian walkways that make train stations accessible.
This is well-documented on social media where netizens have shared their own journeys to and from these stations to show how dangerous they can get.
Recently, another Malaysian, Azimah (@justazimah) took to her Twitter account to highlight the “pedestrian-friendly path” that public transport users have to take to get to the Pusat Bandar Damansara MRT station.
In the video shared by Azimah, she is walking inside a yellow line on the road. To her left is construction on a bridge and to her right is oncoming traffic. One misstep and she could be hit by a car!
“I’m aware that a shuttle bus has been provided for commuters to travel between the MRT Semantan station and office areas, but not everyone can afford to wait for the bus when it does not come every 3-5 minutes,” Azimah said, referring to the free shuttle bus that’s been provided by the construction company currently obstructing commuters’ paths.
“The (Pusat Bandar Damansara) MRT (station) is just 5-10 minutes away from my office so why do we not have a proper pedestrian walkway? Taking a bus to the MRT can take up to 15-30 minutes of wait and travel time. Considering that it doesn’t rain.”
Netizens have mixed reactions
While many netizens agree with Azimah that something needs to be done to ensure pedestrians’ safety, there are also some netizens who think that she is overreacting because the issues she pointed out are only temporary due to the ongoing construction.
“The bridge will be demolished. That’s why shuttle buses are provided. But you guys want to brave the shortcut anyway. Then, you blame the construction company there.”
One netizen also highlighted that Azimah’s video is just one point of view. He questioned why she didn’t use the pedestrian bridge nearby.
Meanwhile, those who support Azimah gave a suggestion of what can be done to make the pedestrian walkway safer even though there’s construction.
“Why not prepare alternative routes for pedestrians? Something like this.”
Watch the full video below:
Tengok la kualiti Malaysia yang sangat mesra dengan pejalan kaki. Beb, ni kalau tersadung sikit je ni beb. Kena cium dah. MRT punya sejengkal. Tapi takda proper laluan ??♀️ pic.twitter.com/8Q6jYSMqdS
— ?Azimah? (@justazimah) January 10, 2023
Have you encountered any more train stations with dangerous walkways?
Also read: M’sian Throws Shade At Property Listings Claiming 10 Min Walk To MRT, But The Path is Dangerous
