Brunei Public Transport

Masterplan Aims To Lure Bruneians Out Of Private Cars Into Public Vehicles

Bandar Seri Begawan - An Attractive public transport system will be developed under the Bandar Seri Begawan Development Masterplan to encourage people to voluntarily get out of their cars and use public transport, according to the masterplan project director.

Regional Director of HOK Planning Group Steven Townsend said such a move will help overcome the Bruneian dependency of cars as a means of commuting and getting around the country and help relieve traffic congestion caused by too many private vehicles on the road.

Based on past experience with cities such as Houston, Texas and Los Angeles, California, Townsend said that previously, the general populations in these places did not opt for public transport.

"Initially, it was impossible to get people out of their cars and onto public transport," he told The Brunei Times recently.

He had observed that, similarly, Bruneians would not readily choose public transport as they preferred their own cars to travel almost anywhere in the Sultanate.

However, he added, the communities there managed to develop public transport systems which were more attractive than using personal vehicles, and as a result, the people steadily started using public transport voluntarily.

"You can do so much more on your ride to work such as reading the newspaper on a train or a bus, than you would driving a car," Townsend pointed out. "So the people chose to commute using public transport".

He said that people could not be forced to use public transport as there was a likely chance that they would abandon it after some time and revert to using their personal vehicles. With a more attractive public transport system, he explained, the initiative would be more sustainable and successful.

He said the same type of mentality could be administered in Brunei, while noting that the Sultanate had among the highest number of cars per capita in the region.

According to a study conducted by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), there were 680 vehicles per 1,000 persons in 2004, which is equivalent to more than one vehicle for every adult over the age of 19 in the country.

Transport is a major issue which will need to be addressed in the formulation of the BSB Masterplan, which is expected to be completed within nine months' time by June 2010, said Townsend.

From a past report, Professor of Design, Technology and Management at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design Spiro Pollalis said that public transport and walk-able destinations will play a major role in maintaining a city that is both efficient and sustainable. He added that a lack of a comprehensive public transport could hinder Brunei's dream of becoming "city in a garden" by 2015, which is another objective under the BSB Development Masterplan.

The national director of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), another consultant involved in the project, said that the team of consultants had to factor in that Brunei did not have the critical mass to support public transportation systems which have been implemented elsewhere. Marc Emile Shamma'a, said that due to the Sultanate's small population, the consultants would have to focus on customising public transport to make it suitable for Brunei.

We are not creating a metropolis. We are trying to see how Bandar integrates with the rest of Brunei and how it integrates into Borneo since it is the only capital city on the island," he said.

Shamma'a explained that the existence of an efficient public transport system would link Bandar not only to the satellite towns in Brunei, but also to other locations on Borneo, which in itself, would be advantageous to Brunei.

He acknowledged that in increasing attractiveness of public transport, the consultants could look at the systems of other countries. He said that Venice, which the BSB's Kg Ayer is often related to, had "water buses", which transport large groups of people across the winding water channels of the city.

Apart from its primary benefit to the masses, such unique aspects could be incorporated to make it an attraction for tourists as well as locals, he highlighted.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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