The planning of the country’s transportation framework under the National Transport Plan (NTP) 2019-2030 puts emphasis on a greener transportation ecosystem in Malaysia but it also put focus on how modern shopping trends will change the existing transportation system.
The country will prioritise public transport networks as the core structure in urbanised areas and will take into account commercial traffic growth with growing e-commerce needs.
NTP 2019 has four main sectors, that is aviation, shipping, freight and land transport. It also have five policy thrusts and 23 strategies while guided by three principles, namely economic competitiveness, social impact and environmental impact.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched the report on Thursday last week in a public area at the KL Sentral station, which allowed members of the public to have a taste of the new national transport policy presentations and the Prime Minister’s speech live from the podium.
The Ministry of Transport says work on NTP 2019 began in September 2016.
Over 150 representatives from academia, the private sector and the government joined the discussions and workshops to provide a strategic direction for ministries and agencies to develop the transport sector.
NTP 2019 is also in line with the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, which is based on inclusivity and the equitability of outcomes.
Dr Mahathir said Malaysia will also focus more on improving the railway network which has been underutilised, unlike in Japan, South Korea and China.
“Rail could also be used to transport freight, especially big items, and it is safer compared to the lorries used to transport goods,” he said.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook. said the government took into account the latest trends in the transport sector such as the increasing urbanisation, the technology shift that changes the way we live, communicate and transport goods and passengers.
“Also, there have been changes in the international shipping and aviation industries,” he said, adding that the transport sector was an important enabler for economic development and people’s well-being.
In a seperate event, Loke said transportation industry players must make careful planning and preparations ahead of Visit Malaysia Year 2020 (VMY 2020) which is expected to attract a high number of tourists to the country.
He said this included airport, tour bus, e-hailing and taxi services.
“Preparations have been going for quite some time and indeed the Ministry of Transport is the supporting ministry for VMY 2020. The most important entry points are the airports, so the airline companies must be prepared.
“Tour buses, public transportation, taxis and e-hailing services must be ready to receive more visitors and this is an opportunity for them to earn more income,” he said. /TISG