Public transport has unquestionably been neglected. Road renewal and maintenance have been slipshod. Hailing a taxi in KL can be more difficult than wrestling a water buffalo to the ground. And a patchwork of half-hearted remedies, from car pooling to computerized traffic lights, has been tried and abandoned. Meanwhile, almost a decade of unfettered economic growth has left in its wake at least one car in virtually every suburban driveway.
Figures indicate there are already more vehicles registered in the city than people.
And with each new site and public-works project, construction inevitably spills into the streets, making matters worse. The rapid growth will continue for at least another year, says Ibrahim Saad, deputy minister with responsibility for the federal capital. Still, many are angry the problem was allowed to get so bad. The sight of Mahathir and Anwar checking out public transport last week caused a few wry comments. For 15 years I've been shouting about the KL traffic and they seem to have ignored it.