A good break away from the familiar surrounding can be very refreshing. Kuala Lumpur (KL) city officials don't need to go very far to learn what people-friendly city really means. No need for big study-tour delegates to London, Paris or Berlin on taxpayer's money. No need for expensive tuxedo dinner training and high-society etiquette training on taxpayers' money. Just take a relatively cheap trip across the causeway and take a leisurely stroll down the high streets of Singapore such as Orchard Road. The wide, tree-lined boulevards there are comparable to those found in the well-plannned western cities. The tree-shaded street shoulders are clean, and lined with wide pedestrian sidewalks complete with benches and garbage disposal bins. And the pavements are... straight, even, level and pleasing to the eyes.
Sadly, we don't have enough of these pedestrian-friendly qualities in KL. Don't get me wrong, I am not generalising or saying that KL is bad and Singapore is good. What I mean is that KL can learn from the people-centric strengths of Singapore. Let's admit that we can learn a thing or two, other than Singlish and kiasu, from our southern neighbours. We know very well that this small island city with hardly any natural resource is far richer than our country that is very well endowed with nature's riches. We can learn a lot on the street level. Below the streets - the underground city of Singapore - comprising the extensive MRT network and connected commercial and retail centres is another story. We have nothing like it, not even a connected LRT station that is located side-by-side simply because the lines are run by different LRT operators!
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