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The Southern Integrated Gateway (Malay: Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu), is a Malaysian national project involving the construction of the Johor Bahru main railway station, called JB Sentral, and a new customs, immigration and quarantine complex (CIQ) known as the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex. It is named after Sultan Iskandar of Johor.
The station and complex will become the main transportation hub of Johor Bahru and southern Peninsular Malaysia. The Malaysian Public Works Department is responsible for the design and construction of this project, while Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd is the main contractor.
This megaproject is part of the Iskandar Malaysia. It was announced in February 2008 that the constructions has been completed government agencies has started moving into the complex. The complex will become fully operational on December 16, 2008.
Benefits of the project
- The project seeks to improve the traffic flow within Johor Bahru Central Business District.
- Besides that, the regional road network will be enhanced by the linking of CIQ complex to the North-South Expressway via the Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road.
- The project will also improve the transportation link between Johor Bahru and Singapore, which is urgently needed.
- This project would also attract Singaporean tourists to Johor Bahru and the rest of Johor because of the improved transportation link which increases convenience and decreases travelling time.
- This project will also complement the country's aspiration of creating a premier and modern southern gateway to Malaysia and Asia.
- The Southern Integrated Gateway is expected to reduce air pollution of the Johor Bahru city area.
- A significant reduction in sea travelling time from the eastern part to the western part of the Straits of Johor and vice-versa will indirectly promote security control at the border. This benefit is doubtful at the present because the bridge project has been stopped.
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Today is 17.12.08, the second day of Sultan Iskandar Custom, Immigration and Quarantine Complex or in short the Sultan Iskandar Complex is opened for light vehicles, i.e. motobikes, cars, vans and even buses.
Before I continue, on fairness, I have to confess that i have not use the facility myself yet. What I am going to write next is based on my limited observation and of course, feedback and comments that I gathered from many friends who have used the facility. Mind you, these feedback ain't rosy at all. I shall be objective and review the performance of this new complex against its intended benefits (listed in points form).
Benefits of the project
- The project seeks to improve the traffic flow within Johor Bahru Central Business District.
With traffic diverted away from the "old"city central to the new "JB Sentral", I agreed that the traffic flow within the Johor Bahru Central Business District has indeed improved. I experienced it this morning. The used-to-be morning rush hour at the once busy JB business district seemed to have diminished. The once heavy traffic streets were rather quite this morning and I really wonder how businesses like the food businesses and money changers that were still very busy 2 days ago has suffered and perhaps survived eventually. [And the government was talking about caring and sustaining the livelihood of the businesses around there!].
Well, we just hope that this is not another classical example of the authority sacrificing the bulk to benefit the selective few privileged ones who "won" the tender to run similar food businesses and money changing services in the complex.
- Besides that, the regional road network will be enhanced by the linking of CIQ complex to the North-South Expressway via the Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road. The project will also improve the transportation link between Johor Bahru and Singapore, which is urgently needed.This project would also attract Singaporean tourists to Johor Bahru and the rest of Johor because of the improved transportation link which increases convenience and decreases travelling time.
We strongly embrace the concept of easing the traffic and improving transportation link between the 2 countries. With our fingers crossed, we hope it will become a reality.... eventually.
However, the fact now is that motorists took 3 hours to pass through the "complex" Sultan Iskandar Complex yesterday, versus a maximum of an hour at the old custom and bus commuters returning from Singapore need to take 4 hours to pass through the new Sultan Iskandar Complex yesterday which were once never exceed 1 hour. [Hmm... and we were talking about boasting tourism by cutting travelling time]
- This project will also complement the country's aspiration of creating a premier and modern southern gateway to Malaysia and Asia.
Modernity doesn't mean massive structure with complexity.
What I learnt from my friends was that the road system within the complex is really complex and come with "less than perfect" signage [As if "perfection" is ever an aspiration to some responsible parties in Malaysia, I wonder]. It was observed that if a motorist once made a wrong turn, the motorist has no choice but to "reverse" and this lead to massive tailback traffic.
It also appeared to the public that the designing team from the Public Works Department for this complex are fans of roller coaster rides. Such "fun" elements were seen to be integrated into the road system within the complex - up the slope, down the slope and has sharp haphazard turns to test the driving skills of the motorists and users alike.
To demonstrate their patriotism to national cars, the designing team of this complex seemed to have used Perodua cars as benchmark for designing the width of the car lanes in the complex. Not to mention the genius thoughts to control the driving speed of the passing cars by converging all incoming vehicles lanes, both for cars and buses to only 2 small curving lanes leading to the booths...and exit through small lanes again... Bravo to the great brains behind the design. Fun over safety and lack of common sense, great!
- The Southern Integrated Gateway is expected to reduce air pollution of the Johor Bahru city area.
Road users of the complex think the complex is rather "enclosed" and ventilation seems to be lacking. Such condition is similar to Puduraya Bus Station in KL. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and whatever poisonous gases from the exhaust of the vehicles perfumed the air that is trapped in a poor ventilated enclosure.
We hope the authority does not embrace "ignorance" as an ultimate solution to all problems but notice such discrepancy and do something about it. After all, there are ten of thousands of motorcyclists, motorists and commuters using the complex daily and there are also workers who work there. Health of these people should not be discounted but have to be taken care of.
So, effort to divert and concentrating pollution from one area to another is not a way to reducing air pollution, duh! As the Chinese saying, "change the stock of the soup but not the medicine that boiled in it" means little functional change.
- A significant reduction in sea travelling time from the eastern part to the western part of the Straits of Johor and vice-versa will indirectly promote security control at the border. This benefit is doubtful at the present because the bridge project has been stopped
Some of you may disagree with my critics and sarcasm above by you claiming that,
- Malaysian should be tolerant and understanding, which were known to be unique traits of Malaysians.
- Malaysians have to understand and give time for people in the government sector and government backed enterprises to improve, even though the learning process of these people could be painfully slow.
- It was just a day after the complex is fully operational. Moreover, this is not the first time taxpayers paid multi millions Government project gone imperfect. Hence, our expectation should not be set so high.
- In addition, not that we don't know that Malaysian government generally adopt causal approach to problem solving (recent example was the landslide tragedy at Bukit Antarabangsa that claims lifes and property damages) instead of preventive approach in the first place; all execpt matters that challenge the ruling party politically.
- Also, as government said before, when we are to compare to Zimbabwe, Malaysians should be proud of the progress of this country. So, it is always good to compare with less developed countries than Malaysia. It is pointless to compare with countries like Singapore, which is our close neighbour and already a developed country.
Speechless.....
