TMM,Wednesday 22 December 2010
Double-decker buses should be limited to city roads
A woman looks better standing on stilettos. Similarly, a double-decker bus has imposing looks. However, the price of vanity is often too high.
The woman may twist her ankle and suffer excruciating pain and inconvenience for weeks. A rolled over bus easily crumbles and brings untold miseries to the victims and their families.
Passengers seated on the upper deck may enjoy a majestic view from high up but half of them tend to doze off on a long journey during the day. Those who lay awake at night watch what was shown on the television.
In the early days when locally built buses were constructed using lorry chassis, the height of the deck is similar to the cargo floor of lorries.
About 30 years ago, high-desk buses became popular, especially for express and excursion buses, as large luggage compartments can be built below the deck.
In recent years, these bus operators, perhaps in the game of one-upmanship, introduced double-decker buses. The lower decks for these buses have limited passenger seats and some include a lounge.
They are different from double-deckers designed for city use, which has twice the carrying capacity of normal buses and they are especially needed during the rush hour.
Therefore, the Public Land Transport Authority (SPAD) should introduce such double-deckers for Kuala Lumpur, as they have been proven popular and efficient in many cities. Instead, we merely have low-deck stage buses that enable passengers to climb in and out easily.
SPAD should also phase out double-decker buses used for running express and excursion services, as many highways and roads in peninsular Malaysia are bendy.
Negotiating down a twisty mountain road in an extra heavy double-decker bus with raised centre of gravity requires great skill and luck as the brakes can get overheated and fade.
Even when the bus is fitted with a high-powered engine and brakes to match, the driver can still lose control of a double-decker bus if he has to swerve hard suddenly to avoid something.
It might be possible that Monday’s bus crash at Cameron Highlands would not have happened if the bus was built as a single-deck instead of double, using the same chassis.
The brakes would certainly have coped better with lesser weight and the stability of the bus enhanced with lower height.
Aswadi Baharuddin, the widow of the bus driver who was killed in the accident stated that her husband was a careful driver.
If the brakes had failed, there is no way for the driver to control the heavy bus hurtling downhill at high speed. If so, bus driver Omar Shahidan should not be implicated.
The authorities have pointed out that casualties are relatively low for bas passengers but double-decker buses are like mobile time bombs, especially on mountainous roads.
We cannot allow them to pose a risk to lives, limbs and our tourism industry.
YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur
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