COMMUTERS in the city will have another public transport option in a few years’ time.
They will be able to take water taxis that ply rivers alongside existing busy land routes, to get to some of the busier areas of Kuala Lumpur. Under the city’s transformation plan, the KL River City Project, the Gombak River will be the waterway that serves to turn northern KL into a world-class area by 2020.
Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who launched the project yesterday, said the water taxis would be servicing a 2.2km stretch of the river.
“The Gombak River is over 10km long... So, we need to study what we can do with the remaining 8km. Perhaps, we can expand the water taxis’ service area.”
Under the plan, the water taxis will service areas between Sentul, near the Puah pond under the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway, and Pekeliling, near the soon to be completed Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Titiwangsa station.
Tengku Adnan said the KL River City promised transformation of the Gombak River to provide riverfront lifestyle and serene landscape for the public to enjoy.
He said the master plan framework would redefine the river’s identity and rebuild its redevelopment strategy by transforming it into a vibrant and livable riverfront.
“We want to turn northern KL into a recreational centre and a world-class tourist destination. We will get a lot of complaints, but we will continue providing more space and recreational facilities to the people and tourists.”
He said upon completion, KL River City would possess seamless integration with roads and urban public transportation system, connecting the area to the Duke Highway, MRT and light rail transit.
He said the project, which sat on a 129ha land, would give a breath of fresh air to areas like Bandar Baru Sentul, Setapak, Titiwangsa and Pekeliling, thus creating business opportunities among residents surrounding the development area.
“This project will reflect the real KL, bringing it at par with cities like Melbourne, Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto and many more.
“It will feature the Gombak River Enhancement and Tunneling (Great) system within the northern river corridor. This system will provide an improved flood mitigation system in and around the city centre.”
The Great system uses a non-mechanical system to provide flood attenuation by channelling flood water into a flood tunnel below the city, bypassing the river corridor.