By Adrian Lim
MIRI, April 12: A new central bus terminal in Miri is being planned.
Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin said a site has been identified for the new bus terminal to be located at the Jalan Cahaya and Miri By-pass.
“Today, I would like to request and seek the approval from Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Patinggi Chief Minister for a new Miri Central bus terminal.
“A site has been identified for the bus terminal which is located at Jalan Cahaya and Miri By-pass,” he said in his speech during the launching of Miri Smart City event at Imperial Hotel here today.
The Miri Smart City event was launched by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
In the meantime, Lee revealed that the urban public transport programme in particular the RM1 flat rate bus service has received more than 1.5 million riderships in Kuching, Sibu, Sarikei and Miri within one year.
He said the cumulative number of ridership for the State has increased in Kuching, Sibu, Sarikei and Miri from 12,657 in May 2020 to a total cumulative number of 1,577,415 passengers in February 2021 operating on 50 routes.
For the ridership in Miri, Lee said the total number of ridership was 7,823 in May 2020 and subsequently increased to 517,344 passengers in February 2021.
Lee explained that the RM1 flat rate bus fare subsidy programme has helped to revive the bus services and helped to ease congestion in some of the major roads in cities throughout Sarawak
It also helped to ease the financial burden of the people who are finding it tough during this Covid-19 period. he added.
Thus, he noted improvement will be implemented for the urban public transportation system.
Those include infrastructure enhancement such as bus stops, wider pedestrian pavement, planting of trees for shade and installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras along bus corridors to continue to attract the public to use bus transport as the preferred alternative mode of public transport.
At the same time, Lee said the Transport Ministry will also work closely with the Sarawak Economy Planning Unit (EPU), Ministry for Local Government and Housing, local authorities and other agencies to carry out those projects under the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025).
Apart from that, Lee disclosed that 615 students from the B40 income groups in Miri have benefitted from the free school bus programme implemented by the Sarawak government since the school in Miri reopened on April 5.
On another note, Lee said all the traffic lights in Miri city will be upgraded to Smart Traffic Lights in the future as it provides useful data to monitor traffic flow.
Among those who were present at the launching of the Miri Smart City programme were Abang Johari, Minister for Local Government and Housing Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datu Dr Penguang Manggil, State Secretary Datuk Amar Jaul Samion, Deputy State Secretary (Socio-economy Transformation) Dato Sri Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Mulu assemblyman Dato Gerawat Gala, Miri mayor Adam Yii and community leaders. — DayakDaily
